The Smallest Shred
by Ceu Praca
Summary: A Dark Link fanfiction; need I say more? Kind of a romance fic, but romance is not the main aspect of it. No flaming or you'll be stabbed with the Shadowmaster. Rated for a number of good reasons such as violence and death. Takes place in the Dragon Series a few years after the events of "Tale of the Twilight Huntress."
1. Freedom

A/N1: Another fanfiction? I'm just ignoring my other WIPs, aren't I? *Shakes head* Sorry, but this idea was too good to pass up, and before I could control myself, I wrote a ton of chapters. Leviathantamer, Wolven Amphiptere, I'm sorry. :P Another Dark Link fanfiction, to boot. XD This alternates between Dark's POV, and the POV of an OC of mine named Mariel. Dark's POV is strictly in present-tense, and is always in italics. Like _Dragon Sword_, this will have short chapters of varying lengths, as stupid as that sounds. The chapters will be much shorter than in most of my other fanfics.

A/N2: There will be elements in here reminiscent of _Tale of the Twilight Huntress_, but I can assure you, Samus Aran never appears in this story, nor is she ever mentioned, so this is not a crossover. This is technically the sequel to _Winter's Dark_, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Disclaimer: Anything recognizable does not belong to me. However, all of the abundant non-canonical stuff in here IS mine, as well as Mariel, her character, and her life (dearie me, I sound like a slaver when I refer to her). The Shadowmaster also belongs to me. XD

* * *

**Chapter 1: Freedom**

_The seal is broken. After countless years of straining against the radiant walls, the light has shattered. I am free. The six sages attempt to stop me, of course, but it is a simple thing to slip past them and into the mortal world. The Sacred Realm behind me, Hyrule stretching out in front of me. Hyrule. The kingdom that I have fought against for ages._

_I am free. Free to destroy hope and goodness once more. Free to hunt him. He who had foiled my plans time and time again. He who killed me within the reflection room. He who placed me within a sacrosanct prison of light for thousands of years. He who killed me and sealed me away yet again when I froze all of Hyrule in an endless winter. I am free once more, and this time I will not fail._

_Hyrule will die. I will stay hidden for now, waiting. I am not sure what era I am in, nor how many years have passed since my last imprisonment. There will be no way of knowing, not yet. For now, I go to the canyon that lies northwest of Hyrule Castle. It is there that I find a narrow ledge that will serve as a hiding place._

_Now that I no longer possess the Shadowmaster, secrecy will be of the utmost importance. Until I am ready to strike. Not yet, though. No, I will wait until I know more of this current Hyrule. Until I know the whereabouts of my light side, the Hero of Time._


	2. Blood Red

A/N1: This entire story was kinda random, so forgive me for the beginning of this chapter being a little abrupt and somewhat unbelievable. I wrote it on too little sleep and too much coffee.

A/N2: Oh, I may as well warn you now: this is quite non-canon, and there will be elements in this story that are very different from what most people think of Dark. Canonically, Dark Link never had a personality in the first place, so you can't label it as OOC-ness, but still, he is..._different_ from what people usually expect. If you hate my new version of him, then go ahead and hate it, but if you start spamming or flaming me, there will be consequences. Be nice, okay?

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**2: Blood Red**

"Get out of here, street rat!" the huge man shouted, chasing after me with a club. I ran swiftly and darted into an alleyway, hearing his curses echoing behind me as I quickly put more distance between me and the tavern. I'd hoped to find something to eat there, but it obviously did no good to ask a large, overly well-fed barkeeper for food. Eventually, I slowed down and listened carefully.

Running footsteps. Not good. He'd called the guards. I took off again, almost colliding with a pair of soldiers, and I leapt past them and dashed through the open gate that led to Southern Lanayru Field. It didn't take long to leave the field and reach the crossway in the road. There, I veered north and entered the canyon. Since I was a little girl, I'd heard stories about entering this canyon, mainly because anyone who did never was heard from again.

Some people said it was the lizalfos who killed travelers, and others spoke of a demon, but I didn't care about either; all I knew was that it was isolated, and the Hyrulean soldiers weren't likely to find me in there. Predictably, the canyon was empty. Silent. So quiet, in fact, that I could hear my own heartbeat. Talk abut creepy.

It was then that I heard the murmur. Slow and quiet, it built, until it built into a thunderous hiss. _Okay. I'm willing to bet that that's what a lizalfo sounds like._ Yup. There was a gigantic, bipedal lizard that was skittering across the cliff, then it leapt off and landed in front of me, still hissing.

*It advanced with a snarl, raising its sword threateningly, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that the end would be swift. That was when I heard a sickening _thud_, accompanied by a yowl. I opened my eyes to the sight of the lizard staggering backward, a dagger buried into its chest. Something tall and black shoved past me roughly, and there was a faint zipping noise, then I saw a long, black-feathered arrow embed itself into the lizalfo's skull.

The beast collapsed instantly, and I froze when the tall figure turned around. It was a man, lean and muscular, with angular, hard features and a slanted glare. His hair was a silvery-white color, and his eyes were an unnatural shade of red; he wore a jet black tunic with silver chain mail underneath, and his fingernails were clawlike and sharp looking.

_Well, a tall, intimidating man is a lot better than a homicidal lizalfo. _"Thank you for saving my life."

He advanced a few paces, tilting his head to one side as he studied me with those penetrating, blood-red eyes. "And how do you know that I did not save you merely because I wished to have the pleasure of killing you myself?" he said, his voice an eerie, grating whisper. "Or maybe I was simply thirsting for the blood of a lizalfo."

_That's probably the creepiest thing that anyone has ever said to me._ "When you save the life of someone, you're responsible for them, which means that killing them would be a breach of honor." My own boldness shocked me. _Where did I get that idea, anyway?_

However, instead of getting angry, he went to kneel beside the dead lizalfo, yanking the dagger from it. The silvery blade dripped with blood, and I fought to control my stomach when the man raised the dagger to his lips and almost lovingly licked it clean. Once it was spotless, he slid it into a scabbard that hung from his waist before turning to face me again. I felt decidedly ill, and the man glowered at me, retrieving his arrow and placing that in a quiver, thankfully not bothering to clean it first.

"Breach of honor?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "What makes you think that I possess _honor_?"

He walked over, this time not halting until he towered over me. I took a pace back, and he stepped forward, keeping the distance between us the same. Sickeningly, I could smell the blood on his breath. "Could you please give me some space?"

He merely gazed at me, and I shivered when he trailed two fingers gently along my jaw; his hands were surprisingly warm, and feather-soft, but one of his clawlike nails scraped my skin, causing a stinging pain that made me draw my breath sharply. He smirked, and I saw with shock that his teeth were pointed and sharp, his canines elongated so that they resembled fangs.

"So you believe that I am now _responsible_ for you, is that it?"

_Idiot! I never should have said that!_ "I…I never said that."

He dug his claws into my shoulder, eliciting a startled gasp, then I suddenly found myself standing on a ledge far above the ground. I yelled, lurching backward, only to be halted by two, strong hands gripping my arms. I felt a tall, warm presence behind me, and I attempted to wrench myself free, but he was too strong.

"To escape me is to fall to your death," he whispered in my ear, causing my hair to stand on end. "Which evil would you prefer?"

"Let me go!" I shrieked, thrashing violently to get free, then there was abruptly no resistance, and I fell, screaming.

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* Didja notice this little star shaped mark?: * That signaled where the chapter became believeable. XD


	3. Arrangement

**3: Arrangement**

Just before I hit the ground, something caught me, and I abruptly found myself up on that ledge again, staring up into those blood-red eyes. He growled softly, I felt him walking, then he dropped me. I landed on hard stone, seeing that I was now inside a small cave. "You're a monster!"

He laughed, a sinister, spine-chilling sound that made me want to cower. "And I embrace the description. I saved your miserable existence from being snuffed out, so now you owe me." He knelt so that his face was inches from mine, his features taking on that hard, intimidating look again. "You will tell me what era it is," he commanded with a snarl, pinning me against the rock with one hand.

I stared at him, bewildered. "'Era?'"

"Yes, _era_, you miserable excuse for a sentient being," he hissed, digging into my wrist with his claws until he drew blood. "Who rules this pathetic kingdom? Is there a current hero? If so, who is he?"

_Has this guy been living in a hole for the past thousand years, or what?_ "Why should I tell you?"

"The past twenty-four people to resist me have all perished in wonderfully brutal ways. I would advise you to not make that number twenty-five."

"What would you do with that information?" I asked with a sudden surge of boldness.

He dragged me to my feet roughly. "I am pure evil and darkness, and Hyrule is a kingdom of goodness and light. It does not take intelligence to figure out why we wouldn't like each other."

"You plan to destroy Hyrule?!"

"So, the girl _does_ have a brain. Tell me now, or I will not catch you the next time you fall."

"You're sick!"

"Answer. Now."

"He's called the Hero of Twilight, and when he learns of your existence, he will _destroy_ you!"

To my dismay, he seemed pleased by that, letting go of my shoulder. "He already knows of my existence. And the current ruler of Hyrule?"

"Zelda, Queen of Light."*

He cocked his head. "All in all, it seems that not many years have passed. I thank you; that has been most helpful."

To my horror, he drew his dagger and advanced on me. I backed up hurriedly, but there was nowhere to go in this cramped cave. "_Wait!_" I screamed.

Mercifully, he didn't kill me, but he did press the tip of the dagger against my throat with just enough pressure to cause pain. "Why? You have already given me the information that I need."

Desperately, I grabbed for any excuse. "You saved my life! That means I owe you a life debt!"

"The only way a life debt can be repaid is by saving the life of the one who saved you," he growled. "That is never going to happen."

"It can also be repaid by offering up one's life in servitude as payment," I ground out from behind clenched teeth.

Surprisingly, he sheathed the dagger, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his features. "So…you now consider yourself a bondservant to me. How interesting. Hylian customs are often amusing, but that is the funniest that I've heard yet." As if to prove his point, he laughed, throwing an arm across my shoulders in a mock-friendly gesture. "Very well, girl, I accept your life as payment."

"W-w-what are y-you going to do with me?" I asked, unable to keep my voice from trembling.

He let go of me and motioned at the cave we stood in. "Welcome to your new home."

I sagged to my knees, feeling defeated, but he didn't let me wallow in my misery for very long, as he pulled me to my feet once more. Before I could do anything, his hand flared with black fire, and he thrust the flames at me; I felt a burning, agonizing sensation, then, abruptly, all of my previous pain faded. I frowned and checked my shoulder; no claw marks. My throat and wrist also felt fine now.

"What did you do?"

"The longer you kept bleeding, the less I would have been able to restrain myself. You see, blood excites me. If you had kept bleeding, I would have done all in my power to increase that blood flow, and believe me, I know plenty of ways to make that happen."

I shuddered, and he grinned in a surprisingly normal way, despite the fangs. I pulled back from him slightly. _Okay, he's deliberately trying to get you on edge. Just relax and go with it._ "What's your name, anyway? You kill a lizalfo, plan on destroying Hyrule, threaten me, and yet I have no idea who you are."

"You may call me Dark."

I blinked. "'_Dark_?' What the heck kind of a name is that?"

"I never said that it was my name. I merely said that you could call me that."

"Then what's your name?"

"Dark."

I was beginning to feel exasperated, in spite of how dangerous this man obviously was. "Can't you just give me a real name?"

"It is a real name, just not one that you are used to. You call me that, or you don't call me anything. Take it or leave it."

I sighed. "Fine. Dark it is, then."

He leaned close to me, his breath still smelling of lizalfo blood. "And what would your name be, little girl?"

"First of all, I'm nineteen. Hardly a 'girl.' My name is Mariel."

He chuckled. "And I am over three thousand years old."

"What?!" _Okay, maybe he does have a right to refer to me as a child._ "You're immortal, aren't you?"

"You are smarter than you look."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Hey, if we're going to be stuck together for a while, you need to stop insulting me."

* * *

*In my version of Hyrule, each of the Zeldas who have existed also bear a title that identifies them. The Zelda from Ocarina of Time is known as the Queen of Destiny, and the Zelda from Twilight Princess is known as the Queen of Light, namely for her excessive use of the light arrows.

A/N: Yes, Mariel gets stuck living with Dark. XD I just keep thinking up all the ways that this could end in a humorous fashion, but I'll keep this story relatively serious, if I can.


	4. Bread

A/N: Strange chapter name, I know, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else.

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**4: Bread**

We just stood there for a while, eyeing each other, but I eventually felt tired, and I sat down, leaning with my back against the cave wall. Dark still didn't move, and his penetrating stare began to get on my nerves. "Will you stop it?!"

He frowned. "Stop what, exactly?"

"Looking at me; it's freaking me out."

"Why were you in the canyon in the first place?"

"I was running away from Castle Town. I kinda…tried to steal some bread. I was hungry. I still am."

He appeared to shimmer for a moment, then, to my disbelief, he melted into the ground and vanished. _What the heck?! How did he do that?!_ I was on my own now, and the cave suddenly seemed far bigger and colder than before. Then he abruptly reappeared, shoving something into my hands. It was a loaf of bread.

He gave me an annoyed look. "I should just kill you now and spare myself the trouble."

"How did you do that? You disappeared!"

"There are many things I can do that mortals cannot. It would be wise of you to not ask questions."

"What are you planning on doing with me?"

Dark was silent for a while, not moving, just…watching me. I began eating the bread, knowing that it might be a long time before I would get a next meal, then, just as I finished, he came to crouch beside me, his eyes narrowed. "Make no mistake, girl; I have no attachment to you, nor is there anything that you could do for me. Your being alive is merely by impulse, and I could kill you just as easily on another whim. It would be wise of you to remain cautious."

"You can't keep me here forever. Eventually, you'll have to just kill me or let me go."

He chuckled. "Then this little adventure will end in your death."

"So, you're going to keep me in this little cave."

"That was the arrangement, yes."

"Where do I sleep?"

Dark looked genuinely confused for a second, then he shrugged. "Figure something out. I won't be nursemaiding you."

"Where do _you_ sleep?"

"I do not…_sleep_," he said slowly, as though uncertain of the word. "The practice of doing so is unknown to me."

I actually felt stunned for a moment. "Do you ever eat?"

"No."

"You don't even get tired?"

He shook his head. "No."

I felt stunned for a moment, unable to fathom how someone could live for three thousand years without ever sleeping or eating. "I'm not sure whether to pity you or envy you."

He straightened up, stepping back from me a few paces. "If you attempt to leave, you will likely be killed by the lizalfos."

"I'm aware of this; why are you reminding me?"

He melted into the ground again, and I stared at the spot where he had been. "As long as you're not on your way to destroy Hyrule yet," I growled.

* * *

A/N: By the way, Mariel's personality is totally based off of mine. When she reacts to something, she is reacting in precisely the way that I would react.


	5. Laughter

A/N: Again, Dark's personality is different from what most people usually portray. Please refrain from ranting about that; it is all intentional.

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**5: Laughter**

All of my muscles were tense and knotted, aching from the hard stone of the cave floor. Without really intending to, I'd fallen asleep, but I was quickly awakened by the light scrape of fingernails against my neck. I held my breath, opening my eyes slowly to see a shadow lurking above me, silvery hair glistening faintly in the moonlight, red eyes glowing brightly.

Suddenly gripped by rage, I bolted upright, punching him solidly. He jerked slightly, but didn't make a sound. Instead, I caught the white gleam of his fangs. He was smiling; a real smile this time, not one meant to intimidate. "I believed that you had died for a moment, until I sensed your pulse."

I shivered. "Stay away from me."

He didn't seem to hear, his sharp nails tapping lightly on my wrist. "You showed anger. It was only for the briefest of moments, but it was there, sharp and strong."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I snapped, pulling away from him. He gripped my wrist firmly, yet without hurting me. His smile confused me, and I felt anxious. "Please let go."

"Why? Are you frightened?"

"Yes! Just let go of me!"

He chuckled, a bright, orange flame flaring to life, suspended in midair, bright enough to illuminate the entire cave. I flinched, blinking in the sudden light, then I saw the trickle of blood that was seeping from his nose. It startled me that I'd actually managed to harm him, but I didn't have time to think much about it, because he'd lifted my wrist up so that it was level to his eyes. He seemed to be studying my hand. "Anger is one of the strongest, most passionate emotions that a living being can experience. It can also be used as a powerful weapon." He used his free hand to gesture to his bleeding nose. "In this case, anger enabled you to do some damage."

"I didn't ask for a lesson, Dark," I hissed, trying to pull my wrist away, but only succeeding in giving myself a bruise.

He smirked, carefully wiping away the blood from his face. "It seems that you actually have potential as a fighter. How surprising."

"Where were you?" I asked, if only to distract him from my 'potential,' as he put it.

"I went to many places. That is none of your business."

"Why do you want to destroy Hyrule? What purpose is there?"

"It will draw him out," he said, glowering suddenly.

"Draw _who_ out?"

"Again, none of your business. It is beyond your capacity to comprehend. Are you quite finished with 'sleeping,' as you put it?"

"I guess…why?"

He pulled me to my feet, then, in the next instant, we were standing at the bottom of the canyon, the cave far above us. "Because, if I left you here for too much longer, a lizalfo would have eaten you, which would defeat the purpose of you being here in the first place."

"_Eaten_?" I repeated, disbelieving.

He flashed another smile, pulling me along until we reached the crossroad that had led me into the canyon in the first place. It wasn't long before we were standing in the middle of the Hylia Bridge, the lake shining far below with the reflection of the moon. He let go of me and leaned over the stone wall, for the smallest second looking like a curious child; I muffled a laugh at the thought. He glanced at me, looking puzzled. "You have nothing to be humorous about, girl."

"Laughing is better than crying," I responded innocently.

He grunted, coming back over to me and gripping me by both shoulders. "The only reason you are coming with me is because I didn't feel like returning to find you dead or missing. If you do not behave, you will end up back at the cave."

"Okay." There was a weird pulling sensation, then we were suddenly standing on the shore of Lake Hylia. I glared at him. "Can you please start giving me a warning before you do that?"

"Since you said please, I suppose I should, but, considering how you did not specify what, exactly, I should warn you about, then I'm afraid that I cannot comply," he said seriously, but it struck me as funny for some reason. I giggled, and he gave me another perplexed look. I tried to restrain myself, but I couldn't help it, and I doubled over, laughing hysterically. A strong hand slapped my back. "Are you ill, woman?" he demanded.

"M-m-my name is Mariel," I gasped out, dropping to my knees. "S-s-stop c-c-calling me by m-m-my gender."

Silence. "Stand up, Mariel," he finally grated out after a long moment. I tried to, but I kept collapsing, still shaking with silent laughter, and, finally, he yanked me up. "Hylians never make sense," he muttered, shoving me into the water.

I floundered to the surface, coughing out water, feeling panicky for a moment until I managed to reach the shore again. "What was that for?!"

"You looked like you were having trouble controlling yourself."

I shook myself like a dog, splattering him with water. He hissed, grabbing me tightly by the wrist again, but I didn't feel as frightened of him anymore, not after he'd chosen dunking over killing as punishment. He obviously didn't want me dead.

"Why are we at Lake Hylia?" I asked.

"I have work to do in the Water Temple."

I peered into the depths of the lake, barely able to make out the faintest shadow of the entrance to the temple. "I can't dive that deep."

"You won't have to."

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A/N: By the way...remember how Dark is connected to Light? Well, Light appears in the next chapter. XD


	6. Light and Dark

**6: Light and Dark**

Thankfully, his solution was to have me wait on the shore for him to be finished. I was insanely curious about what he planned on doing far beneath the lake, and I was also worried that he was going to do something to harm the Zoras. "Please don't do anything destructive," I begged.

"My version of destructive is quite different from yours, I'm sure." He paused, opening his mouth slightly and taking a deep breath, then he unsheathed his dagger and held it out to me. "Don't get yourself killed by a tektite."

I took it hesitantly; it felt far heavier than a small dagger should. "You're not worried that I'll run away?"

He pointed across the lake, to where a large houseboat was. "An old man lives there. He'd probably help you if you asked him." Dark leaned closer to me, his voice taking on a steely edge. "If you speak to him, I will kill him. If you attempt to seek help from the light spirit, Lanayru, then I will destroy all four of the province guardians."

"You're bluffing. You can't kill the light spirits."

He chuckled. "I killed five of the sages. The light spirits are not much of a problem to take care of. Make no mistake; if you run, I will not kill you. I will kill any who aids you. You are an executioner. Anyone you talk to will die."

I shuddered, and he smirked, melting into the ground and vanishing. I sighed and sat down, staring at the moon's reflection in the water. _I hope he doesn't take too long, then._

"You there!"

I froze, gripping the dagger tightly. _No, no, please, go away!_ "Leave me alone!" I snapped, frightened. _I refuse to satisfy Dark. He will _not _kill anyone because of me!_

Footsteps came nearer, and I whipped around, pointing the dagger at…Dark. But no, it wasn't Dark. _What is this trickery?_ The man who stood there looked identical to Dark in every way, but his hair was a silky, golden color, and his eyes were as blue as the midday sky. He also had a dagger; the dagger looked almost identical to the one that I held, only its hilt was wooden with a gold pommel and crosspiece. He wore a dark red tunic, a sword strapped to his back, an he looked like a seasoned warrior.

I held the dagger ready, fearing this new mystery, and the man stopped, frowning. "I won't hurt you."

"For your own sake, back off!"

He looked confused, taking a step closer, and I stood up and backed away, stopping at the water's edge. He seemed bewildered, holding out one hand. "Why are you scared of me? I promise, I won't hurt you."

Whoever he was, he was obviously not a threat, but the last thing I wanted was for Dark to kill him because of me. "I…I know that. You don't seem like the kind of person who would harm me. I'm asking you to go away for your own safety."

His gaze drifted to the dagger that I held, and he stiffened, eyes narrowing. "Where did you get that blade?"

"It's mine."

"If so, then you don't know how to wield your own blade," he responded, eyes glittering with the faintest trace of humor. "You're holding it wrong."

_Who the heck is this guy?_ "I don't want you to get hurt. Please, just go away."

"What are you afraid of?" he asked softly.

"You. Dying. Just…_go_. _Please_."

"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that," a new voice said.

_Oh no…_

The man froze, his eyes widening, then he whirled around faster than I would have thought possible, his sword in his hand in the blink of an eye. "Dark!" he exclaimed.

_What?! They know each other?! _I clutched the dagger close to my chest, terrified for his safety, but, thankfully, Dark didn't seem to be hostile. Instead, he laughed, taking a pace forward.

Rather than addressing the man, his scarlet gaze fixed on me. "Mariel, my dagger, if you would?"

I shook my head wordlessly, unwilling to give him a weapon to use. He rolled his eyes and held up one hand; I yelped as the dagger vanished in a wisp of smoke, reappearing in his hand. The man backed up so that I was behind him, and it occurred to me that he was trying to protect me. _Wow. Talk about chivalrous_.

"You stay away from her," the man spat, his voice filled with loathing.

Dark grinned wickedly. "You came before I could even begin."

"Whatever you're planning, it ends now."

"Ah, Link, you don't understand…what I was planning was to draw you to this place. I must say, I am quite surprised at how prematurely you came."

The man, who was apparently called Link, seemed disbelieving. "You came to Lake Hylia to lure me here?"

"Of course." Dark's gaze narrowed, and he bared his fanglike teeth in a savage snarl. "The Shadowmaster. Where is it?"

"I will never tell you," Link replied defiantly.

He growled, then disappeared. Abruptly, Dark rematerialized between Link and I, and the red-clad warrior brandished his sword threateningly. Dark was seemingly unconcerned with the man's anger, though he himself seemed furious. "Where is it?" he demanded again, taking a step forward.

"You are _never_ getting it back, Dark! You're going back in prison, where you belong!"

He roared, charging and slamming into Link, heedless of the sword. At once, both of them shouted in pain as Dark pinned the other, dagger pressed to his throat. "You _will_ reveal the Shadowmaster's location to me!"

"No," he ground out painfully.

The other let out an enraged snarl, slamming the dagger into Link's shoulder. Both warriors screamed at once, and I saw blood dripping from Dark's shoulder as though he had been wounded in the same spot. Heedless of the wound, he bent down so that he was nose-to-nose with Link, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "I know full well that torture won't work. But you fail to consider that I possess the stronger mind."

"You won't break me," Link gasped, his eyes watering.

Dark growled quietly, his eyes narrowing in concentration, and both of them began to tremble. I took advantage of the distraction to grab a rock, throwing it at Dark. It collided with his skull, and he toppled over with a pained yell, crumpling to the ground.

"You stay away from him!" I shouted, grabbing another rock.

"You meddle in affairs you don't understand," he hissed, struggling to his feet. He tore the rock from my hand and stalked over to Link, who was still lying on the ground, only now blood was pooling out from a head wound.

_How is that possible? It wasn't him that I hit!_ "Leave him alone, Dark!"

He growled softly, striking the other warrior across the face. "Are you hearing this, Link? The girl is actually _concerned_ for you. Isn't that sweet?"

"You know you can't kill me," Link grunted, jerking his head up and bashing Dark in the nose. Again, he seemed to be affected by the very wound that he had inflicted.

_What is going on here?_ "Stop!"

The froze, both looking at me in confusion. "_Stop_?" Dark repeated, sounding incredulous.

I stood my ground. "You heard me! I don't know what kind of feud you two have between you, and I don't care! Just stop beating each other up like this! It's sickening!"

Link punched him solidly, springing to his feet and tackling the other, restraining him firmly. Dark struggled, but Link pressed the dagger against his throat, stilling him. "This ends here. You're going back to prison, where you can't cause any more harm."

Dark began to laugh, a horrid, frightening sound, and he abruptly melted into the ground and disappeared again. Link sprang to his feet warily, eyes scanning the terrain, then he stiffened. Without warning, I found myself restrained tightly, pinned against something that was taller and broader than me. I heard Dark's voice in my ear; he sounded triumphant. "I know the Shadowmaster's location now. You weren't able to hide it from me, _hero_."

I struggled, but he was too strong, and in the next instant, Lake Hylia and Link had disappeared. We were back in the cave.

* * *

A/N: The Link that appeared in this chapter is the Hero of Time, even though this takes place after the events of _Winter's Dark_. The Link that appears here is the same Link that was also known as Mikau in Tale of the Twilight Huntress and Winter's Dark. The reason that Link was wearing a _red_ tunic instead of the traditional green was because the Hero of Twiligth is wearing his green tunic. Link was wearing the Goron tunic.


	7. Relatively Calm Discussion

**7: Relatively Calm Discussion**

"Who was he?" I demanded as soon as Dark let go of me.

He growled and sheathed his dagger, which he had somehow retrieved from Link without me noticing. "Someone that I hate."

"I gathered that. Why was it that every time you or he received a wound, the other would be equally affected?"

"You shouldn't meddle in affairs that have nothing to do with you. He is my enemy, and that is all you need to know."

"Then what's the Shadowmaster?"

He froze, not breathing, then he glared at me. "Look at my back. What do you see there?"

I frowned. "An empty sword case."

"Exactly," he hissed. "I'm a swordsman without a sword. A warrior with an empty scabbard. It's _pathetic_. And I have Link to blame for that. He took the Shadowmaster from me."

"The Shadowmaster is a sword, then."

"Quiet," he growled.

"Not until you tell me who the heck that man is," I retorted.

He stalked closer and, before I could dodge, he gripped my throat in one hand. I gasped, stiffening, not daring to breathe. _Please don't kill me,_ I silently begged him. His crimson eyes glowered at me until I was on the verge of crying, then he abruptly let go; I backed up hurriedly, lightly touching my neck. Thankfully, he hadn't applied any pressure, so I was unhurt.

"He and I are physically connected, which is why we are equally affected by whatever wounds one of us receives," Dark said quietly, startling me. I'd honestly thought that he wasn't going to answer.

"And his name is…Link?"

"Your powers of observation are stunning," he replied, deadpan. He walked back over to me and reached out hand; I flinched, but he merely placed both hands on my wrists, staring into my eyes. "You…you had the chance to escape, yet you didn't. Why?"

I felt my breathing involuntarily quicken at his proximity, and he surprised me by flashing a smile. In that moment, he looked truly normal, in spite of the fact that I could _still_ smell the lizalfo blood on his breath, even after all these hours. I squeezed my eyes shut briefly, shivering. "Because I didn't want you to kill anyone."

"I told you that I would kill anyone who helped you. I said nothing about what would happen if you ran away on your own, without help. You had the chance to escape, yet you didn't."

"I figured that if I did, you'd just get mad at me stealing your dagger. Besides, I still owe you a life-debt, unfortunately."

He looked blank for a moment, as though all semblance of thought had left him completely, then he shook his head slightly. "And here I thought that nothing could surprise me anymore."

I attempted to get away from him, but he simply moved with me so that it ended up as an awkward dance across the cave, until my back was pressed against the wall, and he was still just as close to me as before. I sighed. "You have no regard for personal space, do you?"

He shook his head wordlessly, leaning closer until we were touching noses. His eyes glittered with humor, though the rest of his face was expressionless. "I think that your stay with me could prove to be very interesting, indeed."

I frowned, uncomfortable with how close his face was to mine. "Can you _please_ back off?"

He chuckled, but let go of my wrists, taking a step back. He was still pretty close to me, though. "If you insist. May as well get used to it; as you pointed out, I have no respect for personal space."

* * *

A/N: By the way, I know this story from beginning to end, but there is one thing I don't know: what will happen with _them_. For now, Dark and Mariel are just mildly friendly acquaintances, but there is a slim possibility that it might develop into something more than what's going on now.


	8. House

**8: House**

I shivered again, though not from fright. The temperature had dropped, and now a cold wind was blowing through the cave, chilling me to the point where I had a sudden urge to hug him for warmth. "May I make a request, Dark?"

He smirked. "That is your choice. I might grant it, I might not."

"Can we move to a more comfortable place besides this cave? It's freezing in here, and far too exposed to the wind. You might be able to withstand the elements, but I can't. Believe me, I've tried, and it almost killed me."

He was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. "And where would you suggest?"

"Anyplace that has four walls and a roof."

"Very well. Considering how I don't want you dead yet, it is a reasonable request."

He neared me again and grabbed my shoulder, then there was a pulling sensation like before. Within moments, we were standing in a ramshackle house, its only decoration being a staircase that went up to a narrow ledge. The windows were cracked, one was missing altogether, and the floor was littered in dusty blankets and tapestries.

"Where are we?"

"An old village that has been abandoned for the past thousand years or so. The only reason that it's still standing is because it is sheltered in a narrow canyon. Back before it was abandoned, it was known by the name Kakariko."

"I thought that Kakariko Village was inhabited and at the base of Death Mountain."

"They built another village and named it after the old one."

I looked around; there were a number of crates stacked along one wall, all of them covered in a thick layer of dust, but one crate looked like it had been disturbed recently. I went over and opened it cautiously, seeing cans and sacks piled inside. Upon opening one of the sacks, I found pouches of fruits and berries that had been crystallized in honey. "Where did all of this come from?"

He chuckled again. "That was left behind when the village was abandoned. It is still edible; you can eat without fear."

I needed no second offer; within moments, most of the pouches were emptied, and Dark was laughing. I glared at him. "What? I was hungry, okay? Just _you_ try living your life without eating."

"I already have," he replied amusedly. "And with considerable success. Eat slower, or you'll get sick."

I subconsciously obeyed, still shivering. "This place is freezing cold. You do know that I meant warmer literally, right?"

He rolled his eyes, then a plume of fire rose up from the ground and flickered there, lighting up the room as I felt a wave of heat emanate from it. Then he vanished. I sighed and grabbed one of the tapestries, hauling it over and wrapping myself tightly in it, for some reason hoping that he wouldn't be gone long. As much as I disliked his bad tendencies and decidedly evil outlook on life, I reluctantly admitted to myself that I was starting to like him a bit.


	9. Woven Image

A/N: I apologize in advance for how short this chapter is, but it's an introducing segment for the next chapter. :P

* * *

**9: Woven Image**

When he returned, he came on foot rather than by his weird melting-trick, and he was carrying a metal bucket. I frowned, confused, and he handed me a clay mug. "Just drink, and don't ask questions. You can't survive for long without water."

I complied, then set the mug down and pulled the tapestry around me tighter. "Is that where you were? Just getting water?" I rolled my eyes when he didn't answer, instead placing the bucket near the door and moving to stand above me. I glared at him, burrowing deeper into the tapestry. "Sit down!"

His eyes narrowed. "Do not presume that you can give me orders, girl."

"Stop looming over me, and I won't feel the need to," I retorted. When he didn't respond, I sighed, giving him my most pitiful look. "_Please_ sit down?"

He made a strange growling noise that sounded oddly like a protest, but he lowered himself into a crouch. "You're pushing it, girl. Remember, your safety is not a guarantee."

"You're still not sitting," I informed him. For some reason, I somehow felt that he wouldn't harm me. "Whatever happened to calling me by my name?"

"_Mariel_," he hissed, drawing out every syllable. I shivered, and he smirked, sitting cross-legged, beside me. "You have a lot of nerve."

"Sorry," I muttered, dropping my gaze, only to bolt to my feet in shock. He gave me a confused look as I grabbed the tapestry by one corner and dragged it across the floor so that it's features were prominently displayed.

"It's a wall hanging, not a rug," he told me, chuckling.

I stood in its center and pointed straight down at the woven image that stared out from the tapestry with a cold, blue gaze. "Him! He looks exactly like you!"

Dark stood up and came beside me to look at it, tilting his head to one side. "No he doesn't. He has blond hair and blue eyes. Besides, he's wearing a green tunic, not a black one."

"Then he looks exactly like Link!"


	10. Fire and Water

**10: Fire and Water**

_"Then he looks exactly like Link!" she exclaims._

_"That man __is Link," I growl reluctantly. What is it about this girl that causes me to forsake my darker ways?_

_"Why is your nice twin depicted on a tapestry?" she persists._

_"Notice the sword he is holding, and you might figure it out," I say, knowing that the Master Sword is well known enough that she will probably recognize it with ease._

_After a moment, realization dawns in her eyes. "He's the Hero of Time?!"_

_"Yes," I answer simply. I'm still not entirely sure why I didn't kill her when I had the chance, back before I acknowledged her debt. Sadly, I'm stuck with the girl now._

_She whirls on me, her striking green eyes alight with fury. "You're the Vilat Rhaetaj!"_

_I cannot hold back a chuckle at the name that I was given ages ago by the six sages. "Yes, I am."_

_She draws herself up to her full height, which isn't much. "You're the demon that almost destroyed Hyrule centuries ago!"_

_"I do not deny it," I reply with a laugh. Finally, this girl seems to be more aware of just what kind of danger she got herself into. I gaze at her steadily, contemplating snapping her neck and sparing myself the trouble of answering her petty trivialities._

_Then she returns her attention to the tapestry, gesturing to a series of symbols woven in a semicircle above the depiction of the hero, each one a separate color. "What do those mean?"_

_There is nothing she can do with this information. If she ever becomes to be too much of a problem, I can easily kill her. "They are the talismans of the sages."_

_"And him? Who is he?" she asked, pointing to another woven figure, this one brandishing a sword that was every bit as impressive as the Blade of Evil's Bane._

_"The Dragon Knight, Wielder of the Triforce of Power."_

_"Does that mean that this woman depicted here is the Wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom?"_

_The girl is sharper than she looks. "Yes. Zelda, Queen of Destiny."_

_Silence prevails for the next thirty seconds, the she confronts me with that piercing, green stare again. "Why do you do it?" she demands. "Why use all of your power for evil?"_

_I freeze, both inside and out. It is instantaneous, my throat tightening and my muscles clenching as my brain seems to stop functioning. Then my hand moves before I can register it, and I find that I am choking her. She's struggling to breathe, her eyes wild with panic as she kicks helplessly against my legs. One arm reaches up, and she grabs weakly at my face, her pale hand brushing against my cheek and grasping a lock of hair._

_When I feel her touch, it is as though electric fire races through me, and I immediately drop her. She lays there, her mouth opening and closing as she gasps silently, yet ineffectively, for air; I clench my hands into fists and shake my head violently, quelling the bloodlust that had so suddenly arisen. She stops moving, and I hear her breathing come to an end, her heartbeat fading._

_Before I can stop myself, I am kneeling beside her, summoning my healing fire and plunging it into her chest. She jerks, her back arching, then I hear her heart, pulsing faintly. I intensify the power of the fire, and her heart begins beating strongly._

_"If you die I will find you within the Sacred Realm and drag you back to the world of the living!" I growl, mending her throat, but even after she heals, she doesn't breathe._

_I glare at her immobile features, inwardly cursing, then I press my lips to hers and fill her lungs. She starts coughing and breathing unaided, and I draw back, sighing. Why was I going through so much trouble to keep her alive? It would be far easier to just kill her. Of course, I did almost throttle her to death, so it's quite likely that she'll hate me from now on._

_Her eyes flutter open just then, and she instantly looks frightened. I retrieve water from the bucket and hold it out to her wordlessly, but she is too weak to take it. I end up propping her up on my knee and holding her head with one hand, carefully tipping some water into her mouth. She drinks readily, though I can see it pains her with every swallow she takes._

_When the mug is empty, I set it aside, then I notice that her eyes are closed again. I frown, cautiously touching her cheek with one finger, but she doesn't stir. She is still breathing, though, so I conclude that she has merely fallen asleep. I sigh, resigning myself to the fact that I will not be able to move without waking her, which means that I'll be sitting here for a while._


	11. Curmudgeon

A/N1: _The Smallest Shred_ has a cover art now! Well, kinda. Image was used with the kind permission of _TixieLix_ of _deviantART_. The image may never be used without her permission.

A/N2: Again, Mariel is based off of me, and her reactions are precisely how I would react. I've gone over it quite a few times in my head, and I believe that this is exactly how I could respond in such a situation. Hope you guys like it, and, as always, thank you for reading and reviewing.

**11: Curmudgeon**

There was a warm hand on the back of my neck, fingers buried in my hair, supporting my head. It felt like I was cradled in someone's lap, circled by strong, leanly muscled arms. When I forced my tired eyes to open, I saw a familiar face above me. Dark. His head was bent, his eyes closed, and, to all outward appearances, seemed to be sleeping as he held me close to him. Not only was I surprised by how he had healed me, I was frightened by his proximity.

_Is he really asleep, or just pretending? I thought he said that he never sleeps. Maybe he was lying. But why would he attack me, and then save me? It doesn't make any sense!_ I cautiously shifted, hoping to slide away from him unnoticed, but his eyes snapped open, staring down at me intently. I froze, feeling trapped under his scarlet glare, but all he did was slide me off of him and stand up. I bolted to my feet and took a few paces back hesitantly, but he didn't do much beyond watching me warily.

I touched my throat carefully, feeling no pain, and I realized that he'd healed me fully at some point while I'd been asleep. I vaguely remembered him giving me some water, but not much beyond that. I took another pace back. "Why did you do that?"

Dark frowned, clenching his hands into fists. When he spoke, he spoke hesitantly. "There…are some things you should…probably know…Mariel. I have lived…an evil life for the past…three thousand years. I am…unaccustomed to company. Because of this…I have no practice with…controlling my temper."

"I don't get why a simple question would have set you off."

He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. "You don't understand. I chose my life. I chose the path of darkness. I'm not some lost soul who needs guidance. You need to not question my ways, and try not to set me off again."

"So I should just huddle in the corner like a frightened mouse, is that it?" I challenged hotly.

His eyes flashed with an unnaturally bright red glow, then it faded. I stepped back a few more paces, and he chuckled. "You seem to not realize that you are living with a man who has taken great delight in killing others and causing torment. Step carefully, Mariel. I'm not as safe to be around as you may think."

_I really need to get him off this track; the last thing I want is for him to attack me again._ "Were you sleeping?" I asked bluntly.

He looked startled for a moment before his features settled into a cool, neutral expression. "No. As I have stated before, I do not require sleep. Do not change the-"

"-Then why were your eyes closed?" I interrupted, trying to keep him off of the topic of evil and killing.

"Do not change the subject!" he growled threateningly.

"What were you doing? Meditating?"

"I was searching, you fool!" he exploded furiously, whirling around and stalking away. He stood beside the open door, his shoulders trembling violently.

_I don't care what he says, I think he does need guidance. The poor guy has lived in isolation for so long, he's forgotten what it means to be human._ I walked towards him slowly, ready to bolt in case he attacked again, although I knew there wasn't much I'd be able to do if he _did_ try to kill me. His eyes were shut tightly, and he was muttering something in a foreign language, his hand gripping the hilt of his dagger.

"Dark?" I asked timidly. He didn't stop mumbling, and I reached toward him, touching his arm lightly. He stopped talking, but his eyes remained closed. I wavered, then took a risk and grabbed the dagger from his hand. He didn't move as I cautiously slid the dagger into the sheath that hung from his belt, then I took his hand.

I felt his muscles tense, and he tried to jerk his hand away, but I kept a firm grip. He growled at me, but didn't protest further. I laced my fingers between his and held his hand tightly, carefully sidling a bit closer to him. I was still nervous, knowing that he could easily strangle me again without notice, but I was also determined to win his trust, evil ancient person or not.

After a while, his eyes opened. He gazed at me, expression neutral, but I could sense his discomfort. "Let go, Mariel."

"I'm glad that you're using my name now," I replied, smiling.

"You do not understand how dangerous I am to you."

"If you didn't want me hanging out with you, then you shouldn't have agreed to honor my life-debt," I retorted.

He hissed softly, trying again to jerk his hand away from me, but all he succeeded in doing was to yank my arm high into the air with his hand. "Confound it all, woman! Let go of me!"

I grinned. "Sorry. I think I'm stuck."

He paused for the briefest moment, then he abruptly whirled around so that I was pinned against his chest by his arm, my hand still intertwined with his. My first thought was to hold perfectly still, realizing how vulnerable I was compared to him, but I instinctively tightened my grip on his hand, somehow knowing that he wasn't going to hurt me this time.

As if trying to prove my instincts wrong, he bent his head so that his nose was brushing my hair, his mouth pressed lightly to my ear. "You push your luck far too much, Mariel," he whispered.

His warm breath tickled, and I giggled helplessly. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?" he hissed, but that just made it worse; I burst into laughter, writhing in his arms as I tried to rub my ear against my shoulder to get rid of the infuriating sensation.

"You're tickling me!" I gasped out, finally getting rid of the itch.

"This is the second time that you have had an outburst like this. I trust that it will be that last."

"Probably not," I answered, getting my humor under control. "Are you ready to stop being a curmudgeon?"

There was a long silence, and I felt him trembling. I immediately decided that getting him angry probably hadn't been a good idea, and I cringed, waiting for the inevitable blow. His trembling increased until he was shaking violently, and I half expected him to explode into a raging inferno of black flames, then I heard something unexpected: a strangled, choked-off laugh. Once that slipped through, it was as if a dam had broken, and he was laughing out loud, sounding like he was going into hysterics.

I tried waiting in silence, but after a moment, I found it was just too absurd, and I chuckled. _Dark has a sense of humor; who would've known? He has a really nice laugh._


	12. Left Behind

A/N: Again, a really short chapter, but, like with the other chapter, it's necessary.

* * *

**12: Left Behind**

When his laughter subsided, he let go of me and pried my fingers away from his hand with ease, making me realize that he could have freed himself without trouble. He'd probably only been so gentle because he hadn't wanted to hurt me again. I watched as he leaned against one wall and drew his dagger again, closing his eyes once more and resuming his muttering.

I went to lean on the wall beside him, staring up at him. Even though his eyes were closed, there were lines of intense concentration on his face. I watched his lips, finding myself fascinated with whatever words he was using. I listened intently, but I couldn't recognize any of what he was saying.

His eyes flashed open. "_Laekera resae shoraen lsa ornesra_!" he exclaimed triumphantly, making me jump with fright at the thunderous volume of his words.

"Dark? Is everything okay?"

He stared at me as though suddenly remembering my existence, seemingly bewildered, then he nodded. "Stay here. I have work to do."

"Wait!" I grabbed him by the arm, stopping him just before he did his melting trick. "Where are you going? What were you just doing? Will you be safe?"

He chuckled. "My safety is no concern. You've seen how fast I can heal. I was merely locating the Shadowmaster."

"I thought you already knew its location," I pointed out, frowning.

"A simple deceptive act done to give Link cause to worry. I dislike it when he thinks he has the advantage; it makes him insufferably confident. I am going to retrieve my blade."

"Wait just a second…how do you think you're going to retrieve it? I'm sure it'll be guarded by much more than a locked door."

He grinned, seemingly in a much better mood than before. Maybe laughter had cured his temper. "You underestimate me."

"Can I come? Maybe I could help?"

"The only help you would be able to give is as bait for the monsters. You'll end up dead if you come."

"Where are you going?"

"That is none of your concern." He handed me his dagger. "Again, try not to get killed in my absence." Then he vanished.


	13. Violence

WARNING: Some of you may or may not like Mariel's actions in this chapter. XD

* * *

**13: Violence**

That was when I ran. Outside the village was a tall, narrow canyon of gray stone, and as I followed the well-worn trail, I found the Eldin Bridge, connecting the ancient cliffs with the Northern Eldin Field. I resolved to not talk to anyone, not wanting to bring death to them via my personal demon. I knew that running away was a stupid idea, that he would quickly track me down, but…there was something I needed to know. Something that only Link could answer. I didn't know how I would find him, but I did know that I had to locate him before Dark realized that I was missing, otherwise there would be bloodshed.

It was easier to find him that I'd thought it would be, actually. As soon as I entered the field, I heard the clanging sound of metal colliding, then a strangled roar. I ran in the direction that the noise was coming from, only to witness Link battling valiantly against six lizalfos. Then I realized that one of the lizalfos had wings, and another one was breathing fire at the hero. He killed one, seemingly oblivious to the flames that were burning on the sleeve of his tunic, then he drove one fist into the ground with a yell.

I watched in shocked captivation as a wall of fire radiated outward from him, killing the normal lizalfos. He dove to the side as the aeralfo dove at him, narrowly missing the attack and colliding instead with the fire-breathing lizalfo, stabbing it through the heart and flipping around to use its body as a shield when the aeralfo tried to hit him again. The winged lizard's sword went through the body, and Link dropped it and leapt on top of the aeralfo, grabbing its head and twisting sharply. I flinched when I heard a sickening crack, and the hero allowed the broken creature to slump to the ground as he retrieved his sword from where it was protruding from the fire-breathing lizalfo's body.

He wiped it clean on the grass, and I chuckled softly, grateful that he didn't share his darker twin's bloodlust. I jogged down to him, and he whirled around, sword upraised, obviously ready for more trouble. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he quickly sheathed his sword, running over to grab me by the shoulders. "You're alive!"

I blinked. "You thought I was dead?"

He scowled. "When Dark took you, I feared the worst. Where is he? How did you get away?"

"I don't know where he is," I answered truthfully, prying his hands off of me. "I came to find you. You're the Hero of Time, right?"

He froze. "How did you know that?"

"Dark told me."

"Mariel, _where is he_?"

_He remembered my name? He only heard Dark say it once!_ "I don't know. He left to find the Shadowmaster."

Link sighed, seemingly relieved. "Then he's no longer my problem. If he does know how to find the Shadowmaster, then he's as good as gone."

Irrationally, I suddenly felt worried for Dark. "Where _is _the blade, anyway?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Within the Temple of Time. If he sets foot in that sacred place, the sages will immediately sense his presence and seal him away within the Sacred Realm."

"The sages?" I repeated, unable to hold back a disbelieving laugh. "He _killed_ five of the sages before! What makes you think he's not going to do it again?"

Link looked surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"Again, Dark told me."

"Has he told you anything else?"

"Not really. I know that he's the one who cursed Hyrule with an endless winter, causing a famine. I know that he's the _Vilat Rhaetaj_."

He shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're safe now; he won't be able to get to you anymore."

"I doubt that. He said he'd kill anyone I talk to, so he's probably going to be thirsting for your blood now."

He chuckled. "Dark's been trying to kill me for over three thousand years now; he's not going to succeed."

"Don't get too confident. If he retrieves the Shadowmaster, you're as good as dead."

He gave me a suspicious look; maybe I wasn't as casual-sounding as I'd hoped. "Just how did you end up with him, anyway? Dark doesn't usually take hostages. In fact, I think this is he first time that I've ever seen him spare the life of anyone."

_It can't hurt to tell him. _"He saved my life. I'm now bound by honor as his bondservant."

Link appeared horrified, taking a step back from me. "What would possess you to swear a life debt to a _demon_?!"

"In my defense, I didn't know he was a demon at the time. I just thought he was a creepy guy who'd saved my life. I don't need your rescue; whether I like it or not, I'm stuck with the guy. I mainly sought you out to ask you something. What do you know of his abilities, exactly? What's he capable of?"

Link frowned. "Teleportation, for one. He can heal himself instantaneously, and doesn't seem to get tired. He has extensive control over the weather, namely the colder elements, and, when armed with the Shadowmaster, he has power enough to kill the sages and the Light Spirits. He's every bit as strong as all three of the Triforce Wielders, and I've witnessed him reviving monsters that had been killed years before. Oh, yeah, and he also possesses a black fire that can alternately heal or destroy, depending on his preference."

"Does he have any weaknesses?"

"Yeah," he scoffed. "Me. Other than that…well, he isn't invincible. He can be killed. The real problem is that he's immortal; even if he dies, he'll come back to life. Look, I need to you lead me to where he's been keeping you, just in case he does make it back from the temple. He's too dangerous to let go."

Uncertainly, I backed up a pace. "I'm sorry, but if I helped you defeat him, that would be a violation of my debt. I can't lead you to him, otherwise it would be a breach of that obligation. I might be a street kid, but I have my honor. It's all that _do_ I have."

"You must be aware that I'll simply follow you, whether you want me to or not."

_Unfortunately, I do know that. Dark may be evil, but I owe him, and I'm not going to violate my debt by assisting in his downfall. Sorry, Link._ I clenched my jaw. "I know."

"You won't even see me," he promised. "Dark won't know that you helped."

"I'm sorry, Link," I whispered, shaking my head, as well as gauging the distance between us. He stood only a foot and a half away. "I can't." That was when I lunged and rammed Dark's dagger into the hero's midsection, stabbing deep and then jerking the blade back out, leaping away before he could retaliate.

He looked both shocked and in severe pain as he swayed, blinking rapidly. He was perspiring now, and he abruptly collapsed to his knees with a groan, blood pooling out into the grass. I turned and ran, feeling horribly guilty, but I knew that if I hadn't done it, he would have been able to follow me. Even so, by the time I got back to the old village, I felt awful, and I vomited in the street.

Gagging, I drank a ton of water, then curled up on my side, wrapping myself in the tapestry and trying to ignore the image of Link that had been woven into the cloth. I shuddered, throwing the dagger away from me with as much force as I could muster before closing my eyes and trying to block out the recollection of the hero, collapsed on the ground.


	14. Terrible

**14: Terrible**

_Normally, I welcome pain. It reminds me that I am alive, keeps my skills sharp, makes me move faster. Now, however, it is excruciating, and I only wish for it to stop. It feels like someone stabbed me through the gut, a fatal wound, and I black out for a while, but, soon enough, I come to my senses again, feeling confused for a moment. There had been no enemy, nothing that could have gotten close enough to me with a short blade. It is then that I realize that it must have been Link. Something stabbed him, and I'm wounded as a result of our accursed bond._

_I decide that I am in no shape to enter the temple, let alone battle the sages. Not while I'm wounded, anyway. I heal myself as best as I can, but my thoughts are scrambled, and I can't focus enough to mend the wound perfectly. I begin the trip back to Kakariko, annoyed at my failure, but knowing that I cannot defeat the sages now, not while I'm wounded like this._

_By making small 'jumps' with my teleportation, I manage to reach the village, though my wound has reopened by the time I reach the old house. I am immediately on alert when I taste blood in the air, blood that is not my own. I scan the room warily, feeling a rush of anger when I don't see the girl, then I spot my dagger laying near the wall, blood coating the serrated blade and spattered on the wall, like someone had thrown it._

_I grimace at another flash of searing pain, then I move slowly to the blade, stooping to pick it up. The moment I taste it, I recognize it. Link's blood. He was here. Either that, or the girl left, somehow ended up with my dagger in the hero's gut, then she came back. I inspect the room more closely, then spot a tapestry that's lumped on the floor. I make no attempt to control myself as I abandon the dagger and stagger over to the pile, dropping to my knees non-too-gracefully and reaching out, uncovering the girl._

_She looks like she is asleep, and I wonder how anyone can spend so much of their time in stasis without going mad. I sigh, lightly nudging her shoulder. "Wake up, Mariel."_

_She groans and rolls over, burying her face in the tapestry. I roll my eyes, then grab her hands and yank her into a sitting position. She yelps, her eyes snapping open, and she attempts to pull away at first, then she seems to focus. She stares at me blankly for a moment, then her gaze drops to my stomach, and she bites her lower lip, looking guilty. "Sorry, Dark."_

_"Sorry for what?" I ask quietly, feigning ignorance._

_"I wanted to talk to Link." Reflexively, I clench my hands at the mention of the hero's name, and she winces. I realize that I am still holding her, and I grimace, letting go. She massages her hands, shivering. "Anyway, after a brief exchange, I stabbed him."_

_"Why?"_

_"He was going to follow me in order to get to you. I just ensured that he wouldn't be able to follow me."_

_"You tried to kill him to save me?" I exclaim, laughing at the thought, then I gasp at the rush of pain, swaying slightly before falling flat on my back. I'd exerted myself too much._

_Abruptly, the girl's face is above mine, and I flinch, growling at her. She frowns, and before I can stop her, she reaches out one, delicate hand and lays it on my forehead. I shudder at her touch, that same electric fire racing through me. I reach up to push her away, but she grabs my hand and gives me a sheepish grin. "You look terrible."_

_I glare at her and attempt to struggle upright, only managing to make it halfway before collapsing backward again. "Again, you're pushing it. Back away before I strangle you again."_

_"You don't look like you'd have the strength to strangle a mouse, let alone me," she responds with a chuckle. "Sorry. I'd completely forgotten about the physical connection until after I'd stabbed him."_

_"You…" I growl, lurching upright and grabbing her shoulder. She just stares at me, the faintest smirk playing about her lips, and I sigh again as I feel another wave of exhaustion. It's been centuries since I'd last felt the need to sleep, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, not with the shape I was in._


	15. Unconsciousness

**15: Unconsciousness**

"You…" he growled, making the word sound more like an irritated sigh as he somehow mustered the strength to sit up and grab my shoulder. He was almost nose-to-nose with me, and I noticed for the first time just what a beautiful shade of crimson his eyes were. I suppressed a smile at the odd thought, then Dark sighed, his eyes closing halfway. He opened them again, shaking his head as if trying to ward off an unwelcome thought, then he groaned, tilting forward until his forehead was resting against my shoulder.

I froze at the unexpected turn of events, staring down at his head for a full twenty seconds until I gathered enough courage to push him up by his shoulders until he was upright again….then he promptly flopped over onto his back, sightless red eyes gazing up at the ceiling. I frowned and picked up his hand, then let go.

It dropped, limp and unresponsive, and I realized that he'd passed out, probably from blood loss. Again, I felt guilty, knowing that, not only had I stabbed the most famous hero who'd ever lived, I'd also stabbed a fierce, demonic warrior who was probably going to rip me apart once he came to his senses.

I dragged him onto the tapestry, gently closed his eyes because I didn't want him creepily staring blindly at me, then hesitantly unbuckled his sword belt. I set the empty scabbard to one side before cautiously pulling his black tunic off of him; the fabric was a lot softer than I'd thought. Underneath, he wore shirt of silvery chain mail, and it rippled with fragments of light as I pulled that off, too. I flinched at what I saw underneath; a ghastly wound with torn and yellowed edges, looking infected.

I wondered if the horrible condition was a result of traveling cross-country, or maybe he just hadn't cleaned his dagger in a few thousand years, so it was coated in all sorts of bacteria. It didn't matter too much, however. I wasn't a doctor, and I knew that there was no way I could ever hope to heal him, especially with how limited our resources were in this village. There wasn't really much that I could do, so I just sat there beside him and waited. Hopefully he wouldn't kill me when he woke up. _If_ he woke up.


	16. Charming

**16: Charming**

Eventually, his eyes opened of their own accord, and I tensed, bracing myself for the inevitable tirade. But all he did was to sit up slowly and grunt, his gaze meeting mine. He winced almost imperceptibly, then his skin rippled faintly with semi-translucent, black fire, his wound healing supernaturally.

_I guess he never needed my help at all._ I folded my arms across my chest and waited, just knowing that he was going to get annoyed at me, but instead he stared down at himself, then glanced around before he spotted his tunic and chain mail. He frowned, then moved gingerly, putting his tunic on, but leaving the mail where it lay. He didn't even bother to put his sword belt back on as he stared at me, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

I smiled timidly, and he slowly reached out and curled his fingers over my hand, gently prying my arm away from my chest. I braced myself for him to crush my bones, or at least cause a few bruises like the ones on my hands that he'd already given me, but that black fire flowed out of him and into me, causing my hand to stop aching. I sighed. "We need to stop this."

He looked confused. "Stop what?"

"You. Hurting me. You can't keep causing harm and then fixing it. I'm starting to wonder if you have a mental problem."

He flinched. "I…" He shook his head, clenched his jaw, then met my gaze. "I'm sorry."

_Whoa, back up there! Dark just apologized to me?!_ I wanted to point it out, but I figured that it wouldn't be a good idea to incite him to hurt me again, so I shrugged instead. "Apology accepted. Can you let go of my hand now?"

He didn't show any sign of having heard my simple request. "Every time I have hurt you, with the exception of when we first met in the canyon…it was always unintentional. You have to understand that I have been killing since I was a child, and I'm not used to being around someone without trying to terminate them."

"That's not really comforting," I told him, glowering.

The corners of his mouth twitched into a smirk, and I jolted in shock when he bent down and lightly kissed the back of my hand, his crimson eyes glowing brighter. "I promise you, Mariel, I will never harm you again."

"I-I-I guess I c-could live w-with that," I stammered, pulse racing. "Just try to keep a lid on your temper, _please_."

His eyes faded back to their normal shade of red, and he gave a surprisingly charming smile, releasing my hand. "I will try."

"Thank you." When his smile didn't fade, I imitated his growl. "You have nothing to be humorous about, sir."

"This is the first time I have ever tried to keep someone alive rather than kill them. It just strikes me as odd."

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but otherwise in good health. I was able to heal myself. How are your hands?"

I stuck out my tongue and wiped the back of my hand on his tunic. "You contaminated me. I'll probably die soon."

"Really?" He laughed, grabbing my hand and kissing it again.

I began laughing as well, shaking my head. "Dark, are you _intentionally_ being pleasant? Whatever happened to the scary demon persona?"

His eyes narrowed, and he flashed a dangerous grin. "I assure you, I am not normally like this. I think you may be a sorceress."

I scoffed. "Me? Wielding magic? Highly unlikely. I think you just like me."

"No," he replied. I eyed him calculatingly, then lunged and wrapped my arms around his neck; he stiffened, then shook with silent laughter. "That is _not_ the way to strangle someone, Mariel."

"It's a hug, moron." I leaned into him, enjoying his warmth. It was still really cold outside, and the magical fire that he had lit hours ago was now gone.

Dark was silent for a long time, then, slowly, I felt his hands on my sides, then his arms encircled my waist completely, pulling me closer to him. "What is the purpose of this strange ritual?" he asked after a minute of silence.

I hesitated, then rested my chin on his chest and gazing up into his eyes. "It's…it's a symbol of friendship, as well as for comfort."

"Are you saying that you felt in need of comforting, or are you hinting that we should be…friends?" he drew out that last word uncertainly.

I shrugged. "A little of both, I guess. What do you say? Friends?"

He frowned at me, then sighed deeply. "Very well."

"Say it," I prompted, more for my own peace of mind.

"Friends," he said slowly, accompanying the word with a hiss.


	17. Simply Amusing

A/N: Okay, so after going on vacation in another state and coming back all frazzled and exhausted, I'm back on track with _The Smallest Shred_. :D Sorry to leave you guys hanging. :-/

* * *

**17: Simply Amusing**

After another minute passed, I let go of him and tried to back away, but his arms remained wrapped around me tightly, holding me firmly in place. I sighed, resting my forehead against his chest. "You can let go now, Dark."

He drew a deep, slow breath, then let it out quickly. "Nilrem."

I frowned, pressing my ear against his chest and listening. I heard a strong, steady heartbeat. _At least he's not undead._ "What does that word mean?"

"Loosely translated, it means 'honor.'"

"In what language?"

"_Shaekar_, the language of the Sheikah."

"Okaay…why are you randomly saying the word 'honor?'"

He released his hold on my waist and gripped my shoulders instead, bending slightly to stare into my eyes. He looked dead serious now. "Nilrem. It's my name. My _real_ name."

"Whoa, back up there!" I exclaimed.

He actually let go of me and took a few paces back, cocking his head and frowning. "What's wrong?"

"You're actually telling me your real name?!"

He rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, yes. Now I'll have to kill you, because I _never_ let people know my real name."

"You promised to never harm me again," I reminded. "Your name means 'honor.' I think you should stick to that promise."

His eyes narrowed. "If you tell anyone what my name is, then I will teleport you to the deepest, most secured chamber within the Water Temple and leave you there."

I shuddered at the thought of being stuck beneath Lake Hylia. "Please don't. I won't tell anyone, I promise. There's no one _to_ tell."

"Good." He winced, then sat down quickly. I frowned at him, concerned, and he smirked. "Evidently, I am not fully healed yet. Or Link hasn't been healed yet, and I'm just feeling the effects."

"Sorry. I'd honestly forgotten about the connection."

"I find it amusing that you are more concerned for a villain than for the hero," he responded with a quiet laugh.

I sat beside him, shrugging. "Honestly, I was starving and cold before I met you. You might be a psychopath, but you've taken good care of me so far, with the exception of the time where you almost killed me."

He chuckled. "You're no good to me dead."

I glanced at him curiously. "Just why are you keeping me alive? You weren't bound to honor my debt."

"At first, it was merely because you amused me. Most of my victims beg for me to spare their life, but you offered _your_ life up to me on a silver platter."

"So I was entertaining for you. And then?"

He hesitated, and I poked him in the ribs. He rumbled a protest and snatched my hand, holding it tightly, but without hurting me. "You began to be…more than simply amusing."

"Such as?" I prodded.

"Oh, shut up, Mariel," he growled, pushing me over lightly.

I grabbed his sleeve at the last minute, pulling him down with me, and I ended up pinned under him. He glared at me, and I grinned. "You promised to never harm me again. I'm taking advantage of that."

"Don't push your luck," he hissed.

I groaned; his breath smelled like blood. He'd probably licked his dagger again. "Can you wash your mouth out? Please?"

He looked bewildered. "Why?"

"I don't appreciate the smell of blood," I snapped, shoving him off of me.

He laughed, pulling me into a sitting position. "I'm not about to change my ways simply to accommodate you. Get used to it."

"How was I more than just amusing?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Come on, tell me! _Please_?"

He blinked rapidly, staring into my eyes, then he sighed. "You're infuriating."

"So you decided to keep me because I began to be infuriating?" I persisted, smiling when he growled again.

"No. But I began to find that the idea of killing you was quite…intolerable after the strangulation incident."

"'Incident?'" I repeated, disbelieving. "You almost killed me!"

"Technically, I _did_ kill you," he pointed out. "Your heart stopped beating, and you weren't breathing."

"I rest my case," I muttered, folding my arms across my chest and glowering at him.

* * *

A/N1: The name Nilrem belongs to me. By the way, his past and origins also are my original ideas, and I'd appreciate it if none of you try to copy me. You can come up with your own stories on Dark. This one is mine. :P Sorry if I sound harsh, but I really don't want to have to deal with copycats.

A/N2: Nilrem is pronounced 'kneel-rem.' With an accent. _Shaekar_ is also mine. I've written an entire language specifically for this story. XD


	18. The Girl

A/N: Yay! Another Dark POV! I've really been having a lot of fun with this. XD

* * *

**18: The Girl**

_By all rights, this girl should be dead by now. What is it about her that continually causes me to break the rules, sparing her life and going to all lengths to keep her safe? I've killed people for far less. What makes her the exception? And most of all, what are these…feelings that I hold for her? She makes me want to abandon everything, even my most well-laid plans, all for her sake. For the first time in over three thousand years, it feels as though my heart is beating again. It feels like I am alive. And at the same time that I wonder, I find myself…worried that she is so ready and willing to aid me, to stand by my side. Shouldn't a Hylian girl be more concerned with helping the Hero of Time, not the hero's nemesis?_

_Not only that, she…she returned. She had every chance to disappear, to run away. She should have left. I wouldn't have been able to find her. Why did she come back? It can't have been fear; surely she knows that, while I may be powerful, I'm not all-knowing. She would have been able to easily evade me had she wanted to. And yet she came back. Returned to her miserable life with an ancient villain. But maybe…and I hesitate to even think this…maybe she isn't miserable. What if she's actually…happy?_

_Is this, then, her choice? To remain with me? But…why? It just doesn't make sense. It's obvious that she doesn't share the same mindset with me, evidenced by how she's glaring at me right now. In spite of how annoyed she looks, the thought that her green eyes are beautiful flashes, unbidden, through my mind. I shake my head, blocking the thought, and she inches towards me, reaching out one hand. I growl warningly, but she pays me no heed, her fingers brushing against my wrist._

_It is as though I am electrocuted, and my hand snaps up and snatches hers. She freezes, her eyes narrowing. "If you harm me again, you'll be breaking your promise."_

_I never should have made such an promise! But I am bound by oath, and, whether I like it or not, I cannot hurt her. Yet even as I wish that I could, I find myself hating the very thought of doing her harm. As when I had unintentionally throttled her, I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to keep her safe._

_I scowl at her, releasing her hand, then I feel a sharp stab of pain in my midsection. I wince, closing my eyes and sensing the wounded area, but…there is no wound. Link is not fully healed, then. It is his pain I feel, not mine. Accursed connection; how I wish it had never formed! I still don't even know how it came to be in the first place, only that it was there even when I was a small child._

_It doesn't matter right now, though. The more immediate problem is the girl. Maybe I should try to get her to run away. Make myself so repulsive and unpleasant that she'll want nothing more to do with me. But if I did that…she would learn to hate me. And that is something that I cannot tolerate. Even now, I find myself irrationally concerned with her opinion of me. It is strange, but I realize that I am now the girl's…guardian, in a way._

_Her glare is gone now, replaced by a look for worry. With a jolt, I realize that she…she is actually worried about me. How foolish! She should know by now that I can heal myself easily. I cannot die, though sometimes I wish I could._

* * *

A/N: You find out Dark's entire history late on, which will explain why he seems to go through a lot of mood changes.


	19. White and Red

A/N: Great. Another uber-short one. The next chapter more than makes up for it, though. XD

* * *

**19: White and Red**

Okay, I know it's kind of weird to be concerned for an ancient supervillain, but he looked like he was in pain. I wondered if, maybe, he wasn't as healed as he'd thought he was. Dark glowered at me, then he stiffened; I heard a low thrumming sound, then the warrior whipped out his dagger.

To my shock, it was vibrating in his hand, and the blade was glowing a brilliant, white color, strange, red symbols materializing, barely visible against the brightness of the searing glow. His eyes widened, and he said something in another language that sounded like a curse, his grip tightening around the dagger until his knuckles were almost as white as the blade.

"Dark, what's going on?" I asked, frightened.

"Impossible!" he snarled, whipping out his bow, which I suddenly noticed for the first time was made from a solid, black steel. The string was glowing with the same fiery brilliance, and the curve was also emblazoned with those red symbols.

"What's happening?" I gasped, taking a step back.

He roared viciously, his face twisted into an expression of rage and anguish, then he dematerialized, vanishing and leaving me alone, scared and confused. _Something bad is about to happen, I just know it._


	20. Master of the Shadows

A/N1: So so y'all know, I had no control whatsoever over what happens in these next two chapters; Dark kinda wrote this for me. I'm sorry, by the way, for the cliffhanger.

A/N2: Please, please, PLEASE listen to the song "Turning Away," by Celtic Thunder while you read the next to chapters. It'll enhance the experience. You guys know me, you know I don't normally recommend songs for while you're reading, but just trust me on this. XD

A/N3: For some reason, as I stated above, I had no control. My fingers were typing, but my brain wasn't keeping up, and for some reason, I wrote the next two chapters from Link's POV. It was probably because writing from Dark's POV in this instance would have been, quite simply, _impossible_, and Mariel obviously didn't follow Dark when he left Old Kakariko. Besides, I know a lot of you were a little worried for our beloved hero. So...Link's POV for the next two chapters, prepare to be shocked. You might want to hold on tight to your seat...

* * *

**20: Master of the Shadows**

**Link…**

With how deep it had been, it took a combination of magic and a blue potion to heal me. Fortunately, I share Dark's immortality, otherwise I'd be _permanently_ dead. Sheik had been furious when he found out, and it took all I had to persuade him to not take an oath of vengeance against the girl. I was irritated by her actions, but at the same time, I couldn't help but admire and respect her for her dedication and loyalty…even if that loyalty was to a vicious killer.  
When I'd finally regained consciousness in the field, I'd been able to follow her tracks right up to the Eldin Bridge. That meant that she had either fled through the canyon and to Northern Lanayru Field, or to Kakariko, the village that had been abandoned so long ago because of its close ties with the Shadow Temple and the Well.

Considering that she was allied with Dark, I guessed the village. But I didn't go there. Not yet. It was far too dangerous for her. The last thing I wanted was for Dark to kill her because of me. The only way to stop him was to draw him out. And the only way to do that was to offer bait that he couldn't refuse. That's why, against the sages' advice, I went to the Temple of Time.

There I stood, before the Door, playing the Song of Time. Immediately, as though guided by some invisible hand, it slid upward with a low rumble, as though warning me against what I was about to do. I went through, up the narrow staircase, and into the chamber. There, embedded deep within its pedestal, stood the Master Sword. Many said that it was the most powerful blade ever created. I knew otherwise.

There had been _three_ blades made that day, eons ago, by the great dragon Xahreto. The Master Sword, the Dragon Sword, and…the Shadowmaster. One given the power to destroy evil, one given the fire of a dragon, and the third was given power over life and death, light and dark. Depending on who wielded it, the Shadowmaster could be a powerful force for good, or an unstoppable weapon for evil. Unfortunately for Hyrule, Dark Link was the only person who had ever been able to wield the Shadowmaster.

I walked up to the Master Sword and knelt before it, placing my hand on the pommel. I pressed my lips to the blade and sighed. "Hear me now, ancient blade, allow me to wield you once more. Allow the release of the Sage's Bane."  
The sword fairly vibrated, and I felt warmth flooding into me; I smiled, wrapping my hand around the familiar hilt and standing, drawing the blade easily from within the pedestal. As soon as the steel ceased contact with the stone, there was a quiet booming sound, like thunder far below the earth, then the space in front of the pedestal opened up, revealing a long object wrapped tightly in a ragged cloth, a well-known blue and gold scabbard resting on top of it.

I removed the Gilded Sword, along with its scabbard, and placed both of those in my belt pouch before sheathing the Master Sword and strapping it to my back. Then I bent to pick up the other object. The cloth that bound it, I knew quite well. It was one of the window curtains from the Snowpeak Fortress.

I unraveled it and let it drift slowly to the ground, carefully balancing the Shadowmaster on my hands. The silver blade gleamed darkly, the black hilt seeming to glisten even as I felt a faint, mildly painful warmth. It _knew_ that I wasn't its wielder. Abruptly, the blade began to glow white-hot, red sigils barely visible down its length even as it emitted a loud, keening wail.

_It didn't do that the last time I held it. What if…it's calling out? Trying to locate Dark? No, that's impossible…isn't it? I know that the Master Sword has never called out to me, and_ _the Dragon Sword never sent any signal to Tannin, but then again, each blade is unique…_

An icy wind whipped through the Sword Chamber, chilling me to the bone, and I turned, feeling as though I'd been stabbed in the gut all over again when I saw him. He stood blocking the stairway, his dagger in one hand, his bow slung over one shoulder, his quiver strapped to his waist. Both weapons were glowing with the same, white brilliance as the Sage's Bane.

His eyes were blazing red, glowing more brightly than I had ever seen, and his skin was as black as charcoal; he bared his fangs at me savagely, a ferocious roar ripping through the clearing. "Drop it!"

I slowly, deliberately knelt, placing the blade delicately on the ground. I didn't know what kind of magic linked the three weapons, but it was obvious that Dark was more angry than I had ever seen him. Normally our confrontations seemed to be more of a game to him than anything else, but now he looked truly murderous.

I straightened again, just as slowly, raising my hands ever so slightly. I met his gaze levelly, suppressing my fear. "Where is the girl?"

He didn't move, but his eyes flashed. "She is none of your concern," he snarled.

_Is it just my imagination, or did he sound defensive?_ "At least let me know if she still lives."

The harsh wind dropped to a gentle breeze momentarily, the glow in his eyes fading somewhat. "She is fine. Alive." The gale blew once more, needles of ice stinging my skin; I squinted, trying to seen through the cruel storm.

That was when I saw that he no longer stood in the doorway, and I heard a fierce, unearthly howl of triumph. My hair stood on end, but before I could turn, I felt an icy rigor course through me as the blade touched my spine, an iron hand gripping my shoulder. I closed my eyes, then, with a yell, I unleashed Farore's Wind, a green flash enveloping me and allowing me to teleport away. I unleashed the Master Sword using the Mortal Draw, and the two, ancient blades clashed together.

His eyes blazed as he pressed all of his weight against me, forcing the Master Sword closer to my chest; I growled, concentrating and releasing Din's Fire, forcing the dark warrior to back away as he dealt with the flames.

I lunged, stabbing at his heart, but he countered, spinning around behind me, the Shadowmaster seeming to be a blade of pure fire in his hand. That fire quickly changed to darkness, and the black energy field surged at me, colliding with my blade and seeking to go around it into me. I yelled, pushing against it with all of my strength, and it recoiled back towards Dark. The energy swirled about him before siphoning back into his sword, and he snarled inhumanly, obviously enraged.


	21. Shocking

**21: Shocking**

"Give it up!" I yelled against the force of the wind. "You'll never succeed! Hyrule will always stand, whether I live or not!"

The gale ceased until it was only mildly snowing, and Dark abruptly looked more natural again, his skin returning to its normal tan and the glow in his eyes fading. "Do you really think that I still want to destroy Hyrule?" he shouted, sounding both defiant and disbelieving. "Recovering what you stole from me was my only aim! I couldn't care _less_ about this accursed kingdom!"

I froze, startled. "You…you don't want to harm Hyrule?"

He stepped forward until we stood only two feet apart from each other; he held the Shadowmaster ready, presumably in case I attacked. To my shock, tears were streaming down his face even as he was glaring at me. "I have been an enemy of this kingdom for generations! I'm sick of going in circles! Most of all, I'm sick of _you_! Experiencing _your_ fatigue, feeling _your_ pain!" He struck the ground with his sword angrily. "Why was I even cursed with this connection? Why is it so impossible for me to live my own life? Instead, I'm stuck in this association with _you_!"

I was stunned; it was the first time I'd ever seen Dark show so much emotion, let alone bare his soul blatantly. In that moment, against my better judgment, I…I pitied him. _He's right. For the past three thousand years, we've just been running in circles with each other. He can't die, and he's obviously adept at escaping that prison, so what option do I even have but to let him go? Maybe Mariel wasn't so insane after all. She may have seen something in him that no one else did._

I sighed, raising the Master Sword and pointing it at him warningly. "Just go."

For the briefest moment, shock registered in his features, then his crimson eyes narrowed. He seemed oblivious to the tears that stained his face. "What are you saying?" he hissed.

"I'm saying that if you don't leave the Temple of Time right now, I'll imprison you right this moment. I have the sages and the Triforce on my side. You can't possibly win. So _leave_. All I ask is that you leave Hyrule alone, leave my family and friends alone, and do _not_ harm Mariel."

He gave a hoarse, strangled laugh. "What would possess you to release your greatest foe?"

I smirked at him. "_Majora_ was my greatest foe. You, on the other hand, are merely a lethal nuisance that has spanned centuries."

He slid the Shadowmaster against the blade of the Master Sword, creating an eerie, teeth-gritting screech that made me want to tear my ears off. He bared his fangs at me again, this time in a way that made it seem almost like he was grinning.

Dark tilted his head into a mocking bow, stepping back and flourishing the Shadowmaster. "I thank you for my sword, _Hero_."

"Mariel made a valid point. If you'd come here and _taken_ the sword, all six sages quickly become nonexistent."

He chuckled. "She makes many valid points. I never thought it would ever be possible to part ways with you without one of us being severely wounded."

"Yeah, well we might not be so lucky next time."

He scoffed. "I hope there never is a next time. Stay away from me, Link. And stay away from Mariel."

"_She_ came to _me_," I pointed out, scowling. "And she stabbed me with _your_ dagger."

"Yes, I know," he replied with a satisfied grin. "I must admit, I felt rather proud of her when I found out what she had done."

I shook my head, holding the Mirror Shield ready to block any attack should he try anything. "Just don't turn that girl into a killer."

"This is now where we part ways…hopefully for the last time."

I smiled slightly, shaking my head. "I assure you, Dark, if you start causing trouble for Hyrule or anyone in it, this will _not_ be the last time we see each other."

He laughed wickedly, sheathing the Shadowmaster in one, fluid move and melting into nothingness. I stared at the spot where he had been, sighing._ I really hope I made the right decision._

"Only time will tell," a low voice answered my thought.

I yelped, turning quickly, only to find myself face-to-face with Impa, the Sage of Shadow. I glared at her. "Just what do you mean?"

Her scarlet eyes, so similar to Dark's, glinted with the reflection of the Master Sword. "No man has a fixed future. Your fate depends on your actions. And so is the same with the man that you call 'Dark.' By releasing him, you may have just sealed Hyrule's fate."

I shuddered, picturing the destruction that I knew the warrior could cause. "Then I made a grave mistake."

"_Or_," she interrupted, her voice tinged with a low growl. "your choice could have influenced him to become something far more than what he is now. Not an enemy of Hyrule."

I frowned. "If not an enemy, then what? I can't imagine him becoming a friend."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "There is no way to be sure. His past left him with darkness in his heart and anger in his soul. If he can somehow overcome that, he could become Hyrule's greatest ally, far more powerful than even you."

"Wait…what do you mean 'his past?' You know his past?"

She blinked slowly, her face impassive. "I was present at his birth. I knew both of his parents."

"Then what is his past? Please, tell me."

"If you wish to learn of his past, you can ask _him_," she answered scathingly. "It is not my place to say. While he may be the Sage's Bane, he is also my-" she cut herself off abruptly, her eyes glittering.

I gave her a suspicious look. "Your _what_?" My eyes widened. "Oh, no…he's not your…_son_…is he?"

"No," she hissed. "I assure you, I am not that man's mother. He…" she hesitated a moment; it was the first time I'd ever seen one of the sages look so torn about something. She sighed heavily. "The one whom you call 'Dark' is…is my nephew. That is why he resembles the Sheikah so much. His father was my brother."

* * *

A/N: Gah! Another cliffhanger! I'm so sorry! DX


	22. Close Conversation

**22: Close Conversation**  
**Mariel…**

There had been a sudden, unnaturally quick drop in weather, causing the ground to freeze and the air to become painful to breathe. I didn't know why, especially because I had no experience in that sort of thing, but I got the feeling that there was magic involved. My hair stood on end just_ thinking_ about someone being that powerful.

As it was, I'd built up a small mountain with the tapestries and buried myself under it, curling up as tightly as I could in an attempt to stay warm, feeling horribly lonely. _I wish Dark would come back. It's only been an hour, and I miss him already. I hope he's safe…_

"Mariel," a low voice whispered. I groaned and buried my face deeper in the tapestry. "Mariel!" the voice shouted in my ear with thunderous volume; I yelped, shooting upright and bashing the top of my head on something then released a grunt on impact, collapsing backward.

"Dark!" I gasped, digging myself out from the tapestries quickly and diving on top of him.

He growled softly, a bruise forming on his chin, and I realized that I'd inadvertently whacked him with my skull. His eyes opened, and he glared up me. "You're too extreme, Mariel. You always either don't react at all, or you react far too strongly."

"Sorry," I answered sheepishly. "Are you okay?"

He rolled his eyes and sat up slowly, pushing me off of him. "I've been worse. Why were you hibernating?"

"It's freezing out! What, can't you feel that? It's worse than cold, it's…it's…"

"Freezing," he replied amusedly. Abruptly, the snow stopped falling outside, the wind died down, and it grew noticeably warmer. "I apologize. I am not affected by the weather, so I forgot to dispel it."

"_You_ caused that coldness?"

"Yes," he answered. I saw suddenly that he was wearing his belt and sword belt again, but his chain mail was still laying over in the corner. That was when I noticed the glittering hilt the was showing over his shoulder. It looked nearly identical to the Master Sword, only it was…dark in color. A solid, eerie black, with a glistening, silver stone set in the pommel. Dark noticed what drew my attention, and he grinned, reaching over his shoulder to pull out the sword. It was scary-looking, with a long, silver blade and strange symbols carved down the center.

"It that…?" I asked hesitantly. "…the Shadowmaster?"

"Yes, it is." He sheathed it again, still smiling. "Do not worry, no sages died during the recovery of my sword."

"Why did your dagger and bow start glowing like they did?"

"Someone other than I touched the Shadowmaster, thus awakening the blade and sending out a call to warn me. That is why I knew that I needed to go to the Temple of Time right that moment."

I shivered, hugging him. He huffed quietly, sounding annoyed, but didn't push me away. I glanced up, seeing that he looked confused. I shrugged, leaning into him. "I'm cold. Can't you make it warmer in here, if you can control the weather?"

"It is late autumn. Were I to make the weather too clement, the people of Hyrule would notice the oddity. As it was, they are probably panicking in Castle Town and Ordon because of the brief snowfall."

"Who, exactly, was holding the Shadowmaster?"

His arms wrapped around my shoulders, one of his hands on the back of my head, his fingers burying themselves into my hair. He lowered his face until his chin was resting lightly on my shoulder. "Link," he murmured. "I think he was hoping to use it as bait to recapture me."

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No. We weren't wounded. In the end, he backed down. Told me to take the Shadowmaster and go."

"He let you go?" I repeated in disbelief. "Why?"

"I'm not sure." Dark hesitated, then sighed, his warm breath tickling my ear. "He said that he would cease trying to stop me as long as I left Hyrule alone."

"Are you going to?"

"Am I going to what?"

"Leave Hyrule alone."

He was absentmindedly stroking the back of my head, and I felt him hold his breath for a moment before releasing it slowly. "I have no need to destroy Hyrule. Not anymore."

I dared to hope. "You're going to be good?"

He growled, his arms tightening around me. "I am not going to suddenly become an ally. All I agreed to was ignoring Hyrule. And I will do so. As far as I am concerned, Hyrule is a world away, ad not worth caring about at all."

"Oh." I was silent for a moment, my nose buried into his tunic. His scent was clean and fresh, from the wintry weather that he'd caused. I smiled slightly. "So, you and Link parted ways peaceably for the first time ever, you didn't kill any sages, you've agreed to not destroy Hyrule, you're cuddling a nineteen-year-old girl, and you're not wearing your chain mail.

"So?"

"Dark, I think you're going soft."

"Shut up, Mariel," he hissed, trembling with silent laughter.

"Are you _sure_ that you're evil?"

"I've done thousands of evil deeds throughout the years."

"The_ deeds_ were evil, but are_ you_?"

He didn't respond at first, burying his nose into my shoulder, then he growled. "I'm not a good man, Mariel."

"That doesn't mean that you're an evil one, though. Bad, maybe, but not evil."

"What's the difference?"

"Your mindset."

* * *

A/N: I noticed someone complaining about the glowing weapons interrupting their bonding time, so... XD


	23. Anger

A/N1: I apologize in advance for what happens in this chapter. I'm mainly apologizing to the Lady Fai, because I promised that this chapter would have more fluff, but...as I have stated before, I had absolutely no control. Dark and Mariel seized hold and wrote what they wished. Although Mariel IS still totally based off of me. XD

* * *

**23: Anger**

"I would rather not talk about this," he growled.

"So, what, you're just going to run away?"

"No…" he answered slowly. I took a risk and slid one hand up, weaving my fingers through his unkempt, silver hair. He stiffened slightly, but didn't pull away like he had all the other times. "Mariel, why are you still here?"

I frowned, pulling away just enough to look into his scarlet eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why haven't you run away yet? If you decided that you wanted to leave, then I…" he hesitated, then shook his head, loosening his grip on me slightly. "I wouldn't stop you. You can go, live a normal life. I release you from your debt."

I froze, digging my fingers deeper into his hair until he winced. I relaxed my hand, glaring at him. "You have no right to release me from my debt. I'm stuck with you for life, or until I save your life. Get used to it, because I'm not leaving."

He gritted his teeth, growling. "_Why_ aren't you leaving?"

"Dark, are you_ trying_ to get rid of me?"

"Yes…no! I don't want you to go, but you're living in an abandoned, ruined village with a demon! That's not a good way for you to live!"

"And what would you know about 'good?'" I asked scathingly.

He clamped his jaw shut at that, his arms tightening around my waist. "Mariel, it…it's not safe for you. To be living here, with me."

"Dark."

"What?"

"Shut up."

His eyes widened, and he growled dangerously. I glowered at him, then did the most stupid thing imaginable. I gave him a resounding head butt, disentangling myself from his arms and standing up. He groaned, sagging backward, his nose bleeding profusely. "Why did you do that?" he gasped, struggling to breathe.

I felt a flash of guilt, but I shook it off, scowling down at him. "Not safe? _Not safe_? I've been clawed, bruised, dropped, and throttled since joining up with you, but that doesn't even begin to compare to the dangers that I faced before I met you! Outside of this town, I've been orphaned, stabbed, whipped, assaulted, mugged, beat up, chained, almost sold into slavery, and attacked by too many drunks to count! I'm safer with you than I ever was in Hyrule, and I _don't care_ about your pathetic excuses for why I shouldn't be here with you!"

Dark just stared at me, his features impassive. "Is that all?"

"Is that all?!" I shrieked, punching him. "I oughta throw the Shadowmaster into Death Mountain and tear your tunic to shreds!"

He blinked twice, rapidly, and stood up, his shoulders trembling. I realized that he was fighting off laughter. That only made me angrier, but he grabbed my fist when I tried to attack him again, spinning me around and pinning me against his chest with my own arm. I struggled, jerking my head back and cracking my skull against his chin, but his grip remained strong. "Relax, Mariel."

"Let go of me, you psycho!"

"Mariel,_ relax_," he whispered softly in my ear, massaging my neck with his free hand.

"You can shove your 'relax' nonsense," I snarled, kicking my heels against his legs. I yelped when he abruptly let go and spun me around so that I was pinned face first against him, one of his arms holding my securely, his hand still rubbing the back of my neck. He leaned in close to me, his eyes narrowed, and I glared at him, attempting to bite his nose.

He jerked back just in time, chuckling. "You continue to amaze me, girl. Just when I think I understand how you think, you do something entirely unexpected."

"Shut up and let go of me!" I snapped.

"To be completely honest with you, Mariel, I'm glad that you feel that way about staying, even though it would be far safer for you if you left."

"Were you not listening to a thing I said?" I demanded.

"Have no fear, I was listening very attentively. I'll admit, I'm a little…_intrigued_ by what you said. Are you relaxed yet?"

I tried to fight it, but whatever he was doing to my neck, it was making my muscles lose their tension involuntarily.

"Just…let go of me," I hissed, sagging in his grasp.

He raised an eyebrow, but released his grip on my waist, promptly grabbing my face in his hands and kissing me passionately.


	24. Innocent

A/N: Once more, I apologize profusely for the numerous cliffhangers I keep doing. It just...happens. I honestly have no control over where this story is going!

* * *

**24: Innocent**

If he hadn't caught me in time, I definitely would've ended up flat on my back. As it was, I was gasping, blushing furiously. "What did you do that for?!"

He looked puzzled, running his tongue along his lower lip. "I…I honestly have no idea. What did I even do?"

_What?! How can he not know his own actions?!_ "Dark, you just kissed me!"

He frowned. "_That's_ what that was? It felt…strange."

"I'll say! You're only supposed to kiss someone if you love them!" I attempted to wriggle out of his grip, but he'd wrapped his arms firmly around my torso, preventing escape.

Dark tilted his head to one side and eyed me calculatingly, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly. "Do I love you?" he asked, sounding distressingly innocent.

I glared at him, trying to focus on his eyes instead of his mouth which, only seconds ago, had been pressed against mine. "How do you expect me to answer that? I don't know!" I hesitated, feeling rather…_shy_ all of a sudden. "Do you?"

His nose crinkled slightly as he closed his eyes, and he trembled slightly before he opened them and gave me a baffled look. "I don't know. What does love feel like?"

Now I _really_ felt distraught, trying to avert my gaze to anything but him, but he wouldn't let me, bending and twisting so that his eyes remained in constant contact with mine. I bit my lip, feeling on the verge of tears. "I can't…I mean…it's not the kind of thing that you can explain. It's a feeling, a choice."

"How can something be a choice _and_ a feeling?"

"I don't know! It just…_is_! You choose your love and you love your choice! But there's also feelings involved, a lot of times taking place in the form of protecting someone or taking every step to make that person feel-" I cut myself off, gritting my teeth. I'd been describing Dark's actions toward me perfectly.

He looked confused. "Make that person feel what?"

I held my breath momentarily, trying to force my heart rate to slow down, but failing miserably. "Safe. Happy. Dark, why do I even need to explain this to you?"

His brow furrowed. "I…I've never…known…love. I don't know what it's like." He scowl deepened when I didn't respond, and he leaned closer to me. "I've upset you. I'm sorry."

"No, Dark, it's fine, you just caught me off guard. I'm not used to people being as…_open_ as you."

His eyes flickered slightly, and he bent even nearer to me. "You think I'm…open?"

I shivered, my heart thumping wildly as I felt tingly and unsteady. His nose brushed lightly against mine before he kissed me again tenderly, uncertainly, his blood-red eyes remaining fixed on mine. Somehow, through the wave of sheer elation, I noticed that tears were trickling steadily down his cheeks. I broke away from him and lightly touched the skin under his eye, brushing it away. "Dark, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

"I don't deserve this," he whispered, growling softly.

"Don't deserve what?"

He let go of me and took a step back, waving his hand up and down my body. "_You_. You're Hylian, good, gentle, normal, pretty; everything that I'm _not_."

I choked back a laugh, moving forward to carefully touch his blackened eye. "Gentle? Dark, I'm probably the only person in Hyrule who's ever beaten you up and gotten away with it."

He chuckled, wiping the blood away from his nose. "Fine, then, not gentle. But everything else I said is true."

I gave him a skeptical look. "Me? Pretty? I'm a dusty, grimy mess, and now, thanks to you, I have blood on my face."

He smiled, shaking his head. "You're beautiful. I think I'm only now courageous enough to say it. I've been _thinking_ it, but I'm a coward, despite how deadly I am."

I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. "Dark, just what's changed with you? Ever since you left and got the Shadowmaster back, something's…different. You're more carefree and open with your thoughts. What the heck happened to you?"


	25. Choice

A/N: Okay, _here's_ the fluffy chapter that I promised Lady Fai. XD

* * *

**25: Choice**

He didn't respond at first, instead moving away to sit down with his back against the wall. I plunked down next to him, and he frowned at me. I froze when he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him, then he took a deep breath. "I reached a breaking point."

"What do you mean?"

"I…snapped. Without really intending to, I found myself yelling at Link, voicing my frustrations that had built up over many years."

_Am I only going to be getting fragmented answers?_ "What frustrations?" I asked, trying to make myself be patient. It was a miracle that he'd softened and opened up this much. He closed his eyes and didn't reply, and I frowned at him, waiting. Eventually, I grew aggravated, nudging him lightly. He growled and leaned into me, taking my hand and tracing small circles in my palm with one finger. I looked up into his crimson eyes. "Well?"

"I'm done talking about it." He kissed me again, quickly this time, and grinned, placing his fingertips against my mouth to silence my protest. "I am sorry, Mariel, but I am not ready to tell you yet. I'm still trying to sort things out in my own head, let alone explain them to someone else."

I sighed, snuggling closer to him. "Fine. But I expect that you'll tell me someday."

"I will. Probably."

"Oh, and Dark…"

"Yes?"

"You shouldn't kiss me again,_ ever_, unless you actually love me. Don't experiment just because you're new to the concept."

"I understand," he replied slowly, sounding kind of subdued…then he abruptly kissed me for the fourth time, deeply and overpoweringly, almost knocking me over.

_"Dark_!" I exclaimed the second he broke away.

He gave me an innocent look. "What?"

"I think you know perfectly well _what_!"

"I did nothing wrong," he said matter-of-factly. "You _said_ for me to not kiss you unless I actually love you. I obeyed."

I slapped my hand over my mouth, staring at him in shock. "_What_?!"

"I may not understand the emotion, but I understand the choice perfectly well. I _choose_ to love you simply because I cannot do otherwise."

I scowled at him, flicking his ear; he hissed and ducked, grabbing me in a headlock. I reached up and tugged on his hair, pulling at his arm until he freed me. "Dark, you really need to stop…shocking me."

He looked worried. "You are not upset at me, are you?"

"No, Dark, I'm not."

"You're taking this a lot calmer than you usually do."

"Hey!"

He burst into laughter, and I whacked him lightly, glaring at him before grabbing his face in my hands and returning the kiss, quickly and nervously, before burrowing under his arm again. He looked startled for a moment, cocking his head. "Does that mean that you love me?"

"No, Dark, it means I'm planning world domination and I'm going to use you as my slave."

He grinned in that charming way of his, and I growled, unbuckling his sword belt and tossing the Shadowmaster to one side before yanking his tunic off and putting it on myself. He blinked twice, rapidly, looking quite surprised, and he glanced at his sword briefly before gently tugging on the sleeve of the velvety, black tunic. "Is there a reason for this?" he asked, now unclothed from the waist up, with the exception of his leather gloves.

"I'm cold," I muttered, slumping so that the collar of the tunic covered my neck and chin. "Hey, if we ever have to make another move, can we find someplace that's warm and insulated?"

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder, his warm breath tickling my ear. I was kinda getting used to that sensation, so it didn't make me react hysterically like usual, but I wasn't prepared for when he pulled off his gloves and slipped them onto my hands. I suddenly felt tiny, because the gloves were so big and loose on me, and Dark had to actually place his hands over my wrists to keep them from sliding off.

"Yes, we can find someplace warmer," he murmured. "My tunic looks good on you."

"I'm glad, because you can expect I'll probably steal it quite a number of times in the future. At least, until I can get some newer, warmer clothes."

"There were thousands of crates full of preserved supplies left here when the village was abandoned. I think it might be possible to find one that holds clothes that would fit you."

"We can search in the morning," I yawned, nestling deeper into the tunic; it felt silky and soft, and was still really warm from his body heat. I realized that it was probably woven for the specific purpose of being protective in all sorts of weather, not that he needed that kind of protection. "For now, I'm just sleepy."

"You Hylians spend far too much time sleeping."

"It's not my fault that I'm mortal."

He chuckled, pulling off his long, pointy hat and yanking it down over my eyes. I giggled, pushing it up just enough so I could see that he was smiling, his crimson eyes dancing with humor. "My hat looks good on you, too."

"You're so weird," I laughed. "And your hair is a mess."

It was true; his silver hair was sticking out in every direction possible, most likely as a result of him pulling his hat off so suddenly. He kissed my cheek gently. "I don't care."

I reached up and smoothed out his hair somewhat; he snorted, shaking his head in exasperation and rebelliously messing up his hair again with one hand, glaring at me.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Dark's hair is messy, and he likes it that way. XD For some reason, I have this really cute mental image of Mariel wearing his tunic, hat, and gloves, but, since I'm a lousy artist, I can't draw it to share it all with you. Bleh. Anyway, the next chapter is kind of a paradoxical mix of lightheartedness and seriousness


	26. Something

A/N: A chapter that is noticeably less fluffy. You have been warned.

* * *

**26: Something**

I frowned at him, noticing for the first time that he bore a long, wide scar that went down his left side from his shoulder to his hip. "Where did that come from?" I asked, lightly tracing the scar.

He shuddered, closing his eyes. "A monster that I fought and killed over three thousand years ago."

"What kind of monster? Something horrible no doubt; it looks like something tried to sever your arm!"

"The worst kind of beast," he replied softly, his eyes distant.

"You're not gonna tell me, huh?"

"Perhaps I will someday. But now…no. Not now. There are some things that are better left unsaid."

I carefully touched another scar, one that looked more like a huge gash on his waist, as if something had tried to cut him in half. "What about_ this_ one? Can you tell me where _it_ came from?"

"A dragon."

"I'm serious, Dark."

He chuckled. "It was a fully grown dragon named Xahreto."

"What would possess you to pick a fight with a dragon?"

"Xahreto is the one who created the Shadowmaster. When I encountered him, he gave me my sword."

"Wow. Not many people who can claim that they got their favorite weapon straight from the claws of a dragon."

He smirked. "I ended up killing Xahreto with the Shadowmaster. He gave me this scar in his death throes, when he was still thrashing about. Dragons take a long time to die."

"You killed the person who was generous enough to give you the most powerful sword ever created? Why would you do such a thing?"

"You continually forget that I'm evil, Mariel," he growled.

"Stop calling yourself evil, or I'll take the Shadowmaster and bring it back to Link," I growled.

He gave me a puzzled look. "You_ do_ realize that I can summon it to my hand anytime I need it, right?"

"Oh, shut up. I'll knock you out first."

"Mariel, you cannot change my core. I've always been this way, my entire life."

"In other words, the first thing you did when you were a newborn was to kill your parents and burn down a whole village."

He laughed. "No. To be honest, I do not even remember those infant years."

"I'd be truly impressed if you could. Hylians in general don't remember when they were a baby."

"That's probably a good thing," he muttered, his gaze darkening. "At least in my case."

"Why do you say that?"

"Just…be silent. You don't need to know that."

"Troubled childhood?" I guessed.

"That is the biggest understatement I have ever heard."

"No one is_ born_ evil. _Something_ must have happened to make you want to destroy Hyrule and kill anyone who gets in your way."

He clenched and unclenched one hand, his arms and chest rippling faintly with that slightly-invisible black fire. "That _something_ died a wonderfully painful and gruesome death well over three thousand years ago. I'd rather not talk about it."

"The more you avoid answering my questions, so more questions I'm gonna ask. I promise, Dark, anything you tell me will never travel beyond the walls of this house. I'll never tell anyone."

He stopped breathing, closing his eyes, and I frowned, poking him roughly. He jolted, growling at me, opening his eyes and glaring. "Mariel, just because I promised to never harm you doesn't mean that I promised to never get rid of you. I could easily teleport you to the other side of Hyrule and leave you there."

"Oh, I'd find you one way or another," I answered nonchalantly. "Please tell me, Dark. I'm sick of this…_mystery_ that you've wrapped around yourself."

"I was raised by a Gerudo who made it her job to torture me every moment of every day," he snarled angrily, shuddering, that black fire intensifying until I flinched away from its heat.

"Who?" I whispered, frightened.

He shook violently, visibly trying to get himself under control, and, thankfully, the black fire faded. "I really don't want to talk about it, Mariel. I have a lot of bad memories of…_her_."

"What happened to her?"

"I acquired the Shadowmaster and killed her with it when I was eleven years old."


	27. It's True

A/N: _Finally_, another Dark POV. It seems like forever since I wrote a chapter from his point of view. :P

* * *

**27: It's True**

_Thankfully, the girl stops asking questions after that, but I can still sense her curiosity. She eventually closes her eyes and leans into me, burying her nose under the collar of my tunic. Soon, her breathing slows, and I know that she is asleep. I wonder whether I made the right choice, letting her know what I felt. And Link…ugh. I don't know what I was thinking, voicing my thoughts like that._

_Ever since the girl came along, it seems like I keep messing up, slipping, doing things I never would have done otherwise. It doesn't make sense. I didn't intend to kiss her like that, it just…happened. Something about her proximity, and these odd feelings…it's enough to make me go mad! Yet, even though, as she pointed out, she's covered in dust and blood, I somehow know that I was speaking truth. She_ is_ beautiful, even if no one else seems to think so._

_A subtle change in the air alerts me to a presence. Someone is here, and whoever it was is perfectly silent. I only know of two people who can move that noiselessly. A faint scuff is all it takes to let me know exactly which one of the two it is. I tense, unwilling to move lest I awaken Mariel, but at the same time, I realize that I am unarmed, all of my weapons laying out of reach I the corner. I could always try to kill him with fire, but the last thing I wanted was for Mariel to wake up and find two burned corpses._

_There I go again, worrying about the girl before I consider myself. What is_ wrong_ with me? Ah, well, I can always carry out my threat to drop her off somewhere. I concentrate and call the Shadowmaster to my hand just as he walks through the doorway. I bare my fangs at him threateningly, and he freezes, his eyes widening until I think they are about to fall out of his head._

_Link stares at the girl, looks at my sword, and frowns at me, all within five seconds, then he takes a few steps forward. I raise my blade and point it at him warningly. "I told you to stay away," I growl softly._

_He gazes at me for a long time, then shakes his head slightly. "Impa said that you're her nephew," he says without warning._

_I stiffen, glancing at Mariel to make sure that she's still asleep. "And you take her word as truth always?"_

_"I'm more inclined to believe her word than yours. Is it true?"_

_"You just said you wouldn't believe me," I retort. His eyes are focused on something other than my face, and I realize that I've been absentmindedly toying with Mariel's hair. I stop and glare at him. "You should leave. Now. Before I get angry."_

_"I just want to know the truth. Are you really Impa's nephew?"_

_"You don't believe her?"_

_At that, he scowls. "She's lied before about things, but this time…I don't think she would willingly associate herself with an evil killer unless it were true."_

_I wince at the description for some reason, feeling a sudden urge to throw something at him. "Yes, sadly, she's telling the truth."_

_"How is that possible? She refused to give any details."_

_"She had a brother named Rethra who sired me," I hiss, clenching my jaw._

_"So you're a Sheikah then."_

_"No! I was not raised by the Sheikah, I am not one of them!"_

_Mariel stirs, and I gave Link a venomous look, contemplating whether or not I could throw the Shadowmaster into his chest successfully._

* * *

A/N: Then name Rethra is a _Shaekar_ word that, loosely translated, means _Anger_. You find out the full story later on. :P


	28. Collapse

A/N: I apologize in advance if Mariel's response isn't as dramatic as you thought it would be. Remember, in the beginning of this chapter, she's still half asleep. Anyway, on with the story, sorry for keeping you guys waiting.

* * *

**28**:** Collapse**

"Dark, what's wrong?" I mumbled drowsily, feeling warm and safe for the first time in years.

"Oh, nothing much," his voice growled back. "Just an intruder."

"Intruder?!" I yelped, bolting up and almost hitting Dark on the chin again. I suddenly noticed Link, who was giving me a wry smile, holding his hands out peacefully. I glared at him. "What are you doing here?!"

Dark patted me lightly on the shoulder, seemingly restraining me, and Link eyed him cautiously before answering. "Just…talking."

"You're gonna kill me for killing you, aren't you?"

"I'll behead him if he does," my shadowy protector growled, holding me tightly against his body.

Link smirked, shaking his head. "As long as you don't stab me again, I'm fine with you. Whether I like it or not, I understand your intentions and what you were thinking at the time. I'll admit, I was actually quite impressed. It's been a long time since anyone's caught me off guard like that."

"You mean it's been a long time since I caught you off guard at the lake?" Dark asked, sounding suspiciously innocent.

Link glowered at him, and I frowned at the hero. "What are you doing here?" I repeated.

His hand twitched toward his dagger momentarily before he clasped his hands behind his back as though trying to resist temptation. "I just came here to confirm something. You're okay, right? You're uninjured?"

I snorted, standing up and smacking Dark lightly when he tried to stop me. "I'm fine. Dark here has gotten wounded more times than I have. He's not a threat to me."

My guardian stood as well, giving me a ticked off look and stabbing the tip of the Shadowmaster into the ground. "I advise that you leave soon, Link, before I break my promise."

"What promise?" I asked, confused.

Link chuckled, eliciting a snarl from Dark. "He promised to leave Hyrule alone. In return, I will not imprison him again."

"Just how many times were you thrown in prison?" I inquired.

"Twice," Link replied.

"Three times, actually," Dark corrected with a growl. "Each time I was taken into the Sacred Realm and placed within walls of light."

"I guess an ordinary prison wouldn't have held you for long, huh?"

"No, it most certainly wouldn't have," he laughed, lifting his sword so that it was level to the hero's throat. "Get out. She's not dead, I'm not plotting Hyrule's downfall, so you can do us both a favor and just leave."

Link frowned. "And Impa…?"

"She can tell you the full story herself!" he roared, lunging forward a few paces before halting abruptly. He looked bewildered, then he trembled and collapsed to his knees, dropping the Shadowmaster and digging his claws into the dusty soil, bowing his head and shaking violently.

Link's looked torn between retreating and attacking for a long while. "What is wrong with you?" he finally asked.

"Nothing is wrong with him," I defended. "Just get out like he told you to!"

The hero didn't obey as he shuddered, clenching his hands into fists and wincing. He abruptly gasped, dropping to all fours with a pained grunt, then, in the next instant, both warriors were unconscious.

* * *

A/N: *Facepalm* I'm sorry, guys! Augh, another cliffhanger...! Bleh.


	29. Separation

_A/N: Oh, great, another Link POV. *Facepalm* It happened by accident, I swear! I really have no idea why I dd this from Link's point of view!_

* * *

**29: Separation**  
**Link…**

The first thing I became aware of was a pair of scarlet eyes glowering down at me, then I felt a jolt of pain as claws dug into my arm. "What did you do, you fool?!" he yelled furiously.

I groaned, a splitting headache forming in the back of my skull as soon as I sat up. "I didn't do anything," I mumbled, shaking my head vigorously, but all that served was to increase the pain. "What happened?" Then I registered Dark's nearness, and I yelped, bolting up and leaping backward until there was a safe distance between us.

He growled, straightening and glancing briefly at Mariel, who was looking worried. She took a few steps to stand beside him, reaching up to place the back of her hand against his cheek. I was confused by the simple gesture, especially as Dark didn't even flinch, instead leaning into her hand slightly before sighing and fixing me with his crimson glare. "Something happened to one of us that caused us both to collapse like that. I certainly haven't been in any physical danger, so the source must have been you."

I frowned, staring down at myself and reaching over my shoulder to assure myself that my sword was still there. "I don't _think_ I've done anything all that strenuous recently, unless you count our little scuffle down at the lake. I certainly wasn't exposed to any sort of illness."

"Then what caused that sudden…incident?" Mariel asked, sidling up to Dark and taking his hand in hers, holding it tightly.

_Okay, now it's just getting weird. Since when does he make physical contact with anyone except to harm them?_ "I don't know," I replied, eyeing them cautiously. She seemed totally at ease in her position, and Dark likewise wasn't looking nearly as hostile as he'd been moments before. It was almost as if her presence…calmed him down somewhat.

Even if she did have a calming effect on him, though, he was obviously annoyed. "Something caused that, and I'm going to find out what if I have to scour all of Hyrule for the answer," he hissed.

"Um, Dark…?" the girl asked tentatively, tugging on his hair; to my amazement, he didn't even react to _that_ negatively.

"What?" he growled softly, his piercing stare never leaving me.

"You're not bleeding. Did you heal yourself?"

He tore his gaze away in order to look down at her, seemingly puzzled. "Why should I be bleeding?"

"In case you didn't notice, Link has a few rather deep punctures in his arm from your claws," she pointed out. "Taking into account your, ah…_connection_, then you should be bleeding, too."

I glanced down at my arm, noting the blood that was staining my sleeve, then I looked at Dark's corresponding arm. She was right; he wasn't wounded at all. He also looked confused. "No, I did not heal myself. Strange…I don't recall feeling pain when I inflicted that wound, either." His eyes dawned with sudden realization, and he looked almost…hopeful? Then he took two steps forward, dragging Mariel behind him, and punched me solidly; I staggered and fell down hard as pain exploded through my skull, then a blade sliced through the palm of my hand.

I held my breath, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me make any kind of sound, then, to my surprise, he withdrew, turning his hand over and inspecting it. I stood back up shakily, leaning heavily against the wall as I tried to gather my thoughts. "What…what was that for?"

He grinned, showing me his palm; it looked normal, without any trace of a wound on it. "I wasn't affected by the wounds that I just gave you. I'm perfectly fine."

I drew my breath sharply, my hand feeling like it was set on fire; I applied pressure to the deep cut, grimacing, then his words sank in. Dark wasn't experiencing my wounds. "That…that's impossible," I breathed,

He punched me again, and I reacted, lashing out and catching him square on the jaw. He didn't react though, instead making a small cut on his own arm with his dagger, watching the blood trickle down his wrist. Abruptly, he laughed delightedly, sidestepping and, to my utter shock and disbelief, grabbing Mariel in a tight hug.

She pulled away just enough to glare up at him. "I'm glad that you're happy with beating him up, but what's going on?"

"The connection's been severed," I answered her, feeling kind of dazed with that comprehension.

"We no longer experience each other's wounds," Dark filled in, sounding quite pleased with himself.

"Okay…that's pretty good, I guess," she answered slowly.

"You_ guess_?!" he exclaimed. "It's wonderful ! Incredible! The best thing that's ever happened to me!"

"You mean besides me," she told him with a grin.

He growled. "Don't get too pleased with yourself, Mariel."

"Don't get me wrong, Dark, I'm glad, but isn't this a little strange and kind of…random? I mean, why now, after three thousand years, is this connection only just now gone?"

I frowned, feeling a bit freaked out by their interactions. "You have a point…"

Dark shook his head. "Does it matter?"

"I think it does. How did that bond form in the first place?"

"You ask far too many questions, Mariel," he chuckled. "It's been there for as long as I can remember. As far as I know, we were born with it."

"Uh, excuse me, can I ask something?"

"_No_!" Dark snapped.

Mariel burst into laughter, shoving him away from her. "Go ahead and ask, Link."

"What's with you two?"

She stared at me blankly. "Could you articulate that a bit better? What do you mean?"

"If Dark's not gonna try to kill me for saying this…"

"I make no promises," he said softly, flashing a dangerous smirk.

I ignored him and looked directly at Mariel. "He's usually hostile, evil, and violent. Ever since you came into the picture, he's suddenly…less so. I won't go as far as to say _nicer_, but definitely not as much of a threat. Three thousand years ago, he never would have agreed to a truce."

Dark glowered at me, clenching his hands into fists, and Mariel gave him what seemed to be a warning look, placing her hand on his wrist restrainingly. "Not really sure," she answered. "He wasn't a nice guy at all when I first met him. But…maybe he's not entirely evil. A killer, very bad, an enemy of Hyrule, yes, but who knows? If his life has taken a different path, maybe he wouldn't have ended up quite so bad."

He hissed viciously, grabbing her neck in one hand; I moved instinctively to intervene, but she held out one hand to stop me, keeping her gaze trained on him. She didn't seem frightened at all, oddly enough, in spite of the fact that his claws were slowly digging into her skin.

* * *

_A/N: Gah! Another cliffhanger! Dang you, Dark, stop shoving me off the cliff! And stop strangling me!_


	30. Intimidation

A/N: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger! It seems like that's always what I say at the beginning/end of a chapter in this fanfiction...rrrggh...sorry. :-/ This chapter ends in a much milder fashion, thankfully.

* * *

**30: Intimidation  
****Mariel…**

"Mariel, are you insane?!" he yelled.

I blocked out Link's voice, focusing only on Dark, staring into his eyes. "Remember…" I whispered, trying to ignore the slowly increasing pain of his claws, though I wasn't able to hold back a wince. "If…if you kill me now," I gasped, almost choking as his grip tightened. He shook visibly, eyes brightening until his pupils were almost invisible in the midst of the crimson glow, then he let go; I dropped to my knees with the sudden lack of resistance, trembling. _That was close. I need to learn to stay at a distance from him when I say something potentially upsetting._ I took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart, then I rose to my feet, glaring at him. "You just broke your promise," I gasped, feeling the beginnings of a large bruise forming on my throat, not to mention the tickling, painful sensation of blood trickling down the sides of my neck.

He bent down on one knee, head bowed and hands clenched tightly. "I know," he hissed softly, not sounding the least bit remorseful.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned, finding myself face-to-face with Link, who looked both concerned and angry. "You really think you're safe here?" he growled, suddenly more intimidating than he'd ever been.

I brushed his hand off and cautiously touched my neck, grimacing. "I take that back. Not _safe_. But a whole lot safer than I was before I ended up with him. For the most part, he's relatively gentle. It's only when he loses his temper. I'm fine. He hasn't killed me yet, and he's not going to. _Right_, Dark?" I challenged, glaring over my shoulder at the warrior.

"Shut up," he snarled, then melted into the ground abruptly and vanished.

Link folded his arms across his chest, glowering at me. "My point exactly. You can't trust him, Mariel."

"Oh? Whatever happened to the idea of him starting to behave? He just needs time. You can't expect an ancient killer to become nice and friendly overnight, Link. He's been fighting for his entire life, and it's difficult for him to change his old ways. But he _is_ changing. Just give him a chance."

Link started to shake his head, and I slapped him before I could stop myself. He took two steps backward, seemingly uninjured, but he looked quite startled. "Look, isn't there anything I can do to make you change your mind?"

"If you died all of a sudden, I'd go to your funeral, but I'm not going to leave Dark otherwise."

"But _he_ just left _you_."

"Don't make me hit you again," I snapped. "He'll come back. He always does. He just needs a little time to himself to get his thoughts together. What I'm doing takes patience, but if you keep showing up and starting combat, I can't work with him. He can change. I just need you to stay relatively far away."

"And what if he does kill you?"

"Then I'll be dead, and you can lock him up in the Sacred Realm again. But that's a big _if_. He's not going to kill me."

"Mariel, he just strangled you!"

"No, strangling me would be if I was finding breathing difficult right now. I'm fine. That was more of a mildly initiated threat."

"You're insane," he told me for the second time.

"Thank goodness for that, otherwise I would never have decided to stay with Dark."

"What makes you think that that's a good thing?"

"Look, I'm a nobody. If it wasn't for me ending up with dark, you probably never would have ever learned of my existence. You're better off figuring out where that connection came from in the first place, and why it was suddenly severed. Don't worry about me. If I die, then that's the end of it. If I don't, then Dark has the potential to become something great, something so much better than anything you've ever thought he could be."

"I don't feel right just leaving you here."

"Now it feels like we're just going in circles. Go, Link. The sooner you leave, the sooner I can talk to him and try to get him calmed down again. You seem to make his temper flare more than I do. Just go, and give me at least a week before you come in contact with either of us again. Please."

He hesitated for a moment, his sapphire eyes searching me intently, then he sighed, nodding. "Fine. I'll be back in a week. You have until then before I take you out of here."

"Oh, forced evacuation, is that it? Just go away."

Link frowned, but slowly turned away, taking one last glance over his shoulder at me before disappearing through the doorway.

I relaxed somewhat, sitting down and carefully, gently massaging my throat, wincing._ Now, let's hope that Dark _does_ return, otherwise I am so screwed._

* * *

A/N1: Hopefully this chapter ending was a little less of a cliffhanger. I need to get the hang of making the endings a little less...cliffy.

A/N2: I know, a lot of you are wondering why Dark seems so freaking bipolar...there are numerous good reasons for that, which will be revealed in a later chapter.

A/N3: Those of you who've known me on this website know that I'm random, crazy, and say the oddest of things. I'm trying to mold Mariel after that. I also am in love with swords and combat techniques. Mariel isn't. Yet. *evil giggle* More fluffy moments will be coming soon, after she defuses him. :-)


	31. Not Leaving

**31: Not Leaving**

I felt, rather than heard, when Dark returned a few hours later at dusk. There was an obvious chill in the air abruptly, and I had to restrain myself from standing and whirling around to face him. _Easy, Mariel, just go slowly. He's probably still mad._ I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, listening intently. I detected nothing beyond the cold breeze. I felt the sudden urge to run away, and I opened my eyes, reaching one hand back over my shoulder tentatively without actually looking behind me.

There was the faintest, feather-light touch against my fingertips, then a strong hand slid into mine, the breeze fading and the air growing noticeably warmer. That was when I risked looking up over my shoulder, meeting his gaze. His features were impassive, and I couldn't tell if he was calmer or still ticked off, but he at least didn't seem as hostile as before.

"Are you okay?" I asked softly. His eyes widened slightly, and he started to yank his hand away, but I tightened my grip on him, standing up. "Answer me, Dark. Are you all right?" I began to grow worried when he didn't respond. "Dark, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have told Link any of that. He didn't need to know."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he reached his free hand up; I flinched before I could stop myself, and he froze, then I saw what looked like an expression of disgust cross his features. Before I could say anything, he crushed me in his arms, making me think that he was about to snap my spine, then he kissed me fiercely, keeping himself in contact with me until I could no longer breathe and was forced to separate our lips.

He shook his head, growling ferociously and releasing me. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not safe for you to be around? If I'm not strangling you one moment, I'm breaking your hands, and when I'm not doing that, I'm tormenting you emotionally! You need to just leave before I kill you!"

I bit my lip until I drew blood as I felt a rush of anger. "I told you already, I'm_ not_ leaving. I've already cited my reasons why, and if you can't get that through your thick skull, then you're gonna have to just deal with my presence in whatever way you see fit. You're stuck with me until I die, got it? So quit griping and accept it."

He glared at me, raising a fist as though about to strike me, but he snarled and smashed a hole in the wall instead. "I'm sick of this! I never know when I'm going to hurt you next, and I don't want to!"

"Then just_ stop_," I answered gently, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from damaging the building any more.

"I don't know how," he replied, a single tear working it's way down his cheek. "I don't know how you manage to consistently keep your temper in check, I don't know how to stop myself from killing people, I don't know how to stop the nightmares, and I just don't know how to be what you want me to be. What you _need_ me to be."

_Nightmares? He's never mentioned nightmares before._ "Dark, if you think me repeatedly punching people more powerful than I is 'keeping my temper in check,' then you really need to rewrite your definitions. I'm not perfect, and I don't always keep a lid on my temper. When I do, it's usually pretty obvious that I'm trying to restrain myself. I'm not a subtle person. It doesn't take some magic trick to not kill people. All you have to do is refrain from using violence. Its not that hard."

"But it_ is_ hard! If I can't stop myself from hurting the_ one_ person in Hyrule that I love, the one person I actually _care_ about, then how can I possibly keep from harming anyone else?"

I sighed, hugging him. "All you need to do is keep stopping yourself. You've managed to passably restrain yourself from hurting me lately." After a moment of silence, I smirked at him. "I guess I wasn't so far off then for believing you to be changing for the good."

"Don't push it," he rumbled, pressing his nose against the top of my head. "I'll try to be less…violent…from now on, but I'm not promising to suddenly start acting like a nice guy. And you had certainly better not expect me to be nice to Link. It took all of my self control to not kill him once I found that the connection was severed."

"And I thank you for controlling yourself," I muttered into his chest. "Dark, can I ask you a personal question without you getting all mad at me?"

"Yes. I will do my best to not overreact."

"Who is Impa, and why did you get angry when Link asked about her?"

He shuddered. "Impa was a Sheikah warrior. Very powerful, a guardian of the royal family."

"What are the Sheikah?" I interrupted.

"A ancient race that was so strong in magic that it was believed that they were immortal. They were wiped out when Ganondorf took over Hyrule. He ensured that they would never again be a threat to him. He wasn't counting on Link destroying him, but he did a good job of getting rid of the Sheikah."

"Okay…go on. Why did you get mad about her?"

"She's the Sage of Shadow. And my aunt."

"Whoa, wait, back up there….you have a family?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he growled.

"So…who were your parents?"

His grip around my waist tightened. "My father was a Sheikah man named Rethra. My mother was a Hylian woman named Gwen. According to_ Shaekar_ law, if a Sheikah and Hylian interbreed, the offspring of such a union are to be executed. Meaning me."

"The Sheikah were perfectly fine with infanticide?" I exclaimed.

"Sadly, yes."

"What happened to you, then?"

"I was given to some random young couple in Kakariko Village,* and after a while, I was kidnapped by the Gerudo lady that I mentioned. So started my trek down the spiral staircase of evil."

"If you were separated from your parents at birth, then how do you know their names?"

At that, he gave a sort of half-smile, chuckling. "I spent three thousand years in prison with Impa as my warden. During that time, believe me when I say that she never stopped talking. The woman kept up a steady monologue for the duration of my imprisonment, completely ignoring the fact that I wanted her to leave me alone. It didn't help that I was completely immobilized and was unable to do something as simple as speaking to her to tell her to shut up."

"So you pretty much learned your entire life story via Impa," I clarified.

"Precisely." He let go of me and tilted his head in a nod, then vanished.

I groaned. "Dang it, Dark, why can't you ever stay in one place for long?"

"I would disagree. I can remain put for a very long time," his voice answered suddenly from behind me.

* * *

A/N1: If you have a problem with the Sheikah being portrayed as super-strict, child-killing purists, then please keep it to yourself. There was _zero_ information given on the Sheikah culture in Ocarina of Time, so I took some liberties with that. You can't expect the 'good guys' to be awesome and perfect without any faults whatsoever. From what little we saw of them, the Sheikah were stealthy knife-wielding people who were good at watching people and scaring Link. Therefore, I came up with my own ideas on their culture. They _are_ a really ancient culture, after all.

A/N2: Okay, more fluff in the _next_ chapter. Grr...though not much.

*For some reason, I pictured that 'random young couple' that Dark referred to as being Tannin and Alice. See _Dragon Sword_ if you have no clue who I'm talking about. XD


	32. Well

**32: Well**

I whirled around, seeing him leaning against the wall with a folded bundle in his arms. I glowered at him. "Stop being so freaky."

"Do I really have to?" He gave a full smile this time, placing the bundle on the ground and coming over to me to snatch his hat from my head and taking back his tunic and gloves. I shivered at the sudden cold, feeling slightly exposed with how torn and worn my street clothes were. To my surprise, he didn't put them on, instead placing them on the ground as well before grabbing the unidentified bundle and taking my arm in one hand, leading me outside.

We soon arrived at a well, and Dark set the bundle on the ground again before leaning over the side of the well and touching the surface of the water with one hand. His eyes flared brighter for just an instant, then he straightened, motioning for me to come closer. I approached him warily, remaining at a safe enough distance in case he decided to do his random grab-Mariel-in-a-death-grip routine.

Unexpectedly, he grinned, a spark of mischief in his eyes, and he vanished again. I groaned, then a pair of arms swept me off of my feet; I huffed, glowering up at him as he carried me off to only he knew where. I felt a slight jolt as he climbed up onto some kind of step, then he sat down with me cradled in his lap.

"Dark, what are you doing?" I asked, growling. He leaned down to kiss me again, and I shuddered when I saw him lick my blood from his lips; I'd almost forgotten that I'd bitten myself. "Are you planning on killing me to drink my blood, or are you just being creepy?"

"You taste good," he answered nonchalantly.

"I guess you're just being creepy then," I replied, rolling my eyes. He smirked, then slid off of whatever he was sitting on, and I gasped as we were plunged into cold water; he somehow kept us from sinking. I splashed as I attempted to regain my sense of balance, and he supported me, his expression mischievous. I wanted to punch him, but I figured it would be wiser to follow my own advice and keep a lid on it. "How are we not sinking? This is a deep well."

"Magic," he replied with a chuckle, letting go of me. I grabbed his torso out of panic, afraid I was going to plummet underwater like a stone without him there, and he let out a surprisingly shocked-sounding yell before we both tumbled down. Somehow, accordingly, he adjusted his magic force-field thing to keep our heads from going underwater. "You said yourself that you were dirty. I wasn't exactly clean either. May as well make use of this well."

I burst into laughter at that, using his head to push myself to my feet. He gave me a vicious look, then laughed also, jumping out and shaking himself off like a dog. I started to follow, but he held out his hand, stopping me. I glowered. "What?"

"Wash yourself off. There are clothes there on the ground, and the magic will hold until I command it to fade. You'll be fine."

I sighed, but nodded, and Dark vanished from sight. I decided to trust him to be honorable and stripped my tattered clothes off, scrubbing the grime away. When I was finished, I climbed out of the well clumsily, grabbing the new clothes and dressing hastily. To my surprise, it was a pair of pants that fit me perfectly, and a soft, cotton shirt that was embroidered with a stylized design of a three-tailed fox-animal-thing.

Dark materialized abruptly, and I gasped, stepping back from him. "Were you watching?"

"No." He looked me up and down, smiling. "At least now you don't _look_ homeless anymore."

"Hey!" I smacked him, glancing at the design on my new shirt. "What's this fox beastie?"

"I think it's called a keaton. They were symbols of wisdom and wit. Pretty much obsolete now, but what do you expect when you wear clothes that are over three thousand years old?"

"Okay. What do we do now?"

He eyed me speculatively, then shrugged. "That is up to you. As I have said before, I'm not keeping you here. If you want to wander around and explore, that's up to you. Just don't get yourself killed."

"Can we just…go for a walk together?"

"Where to?"

"I don't know. Northern Eldin Field, maybe?" I suggested. He scowled slightly, obviously disapproving, and I smirked. "I could show you the spot where I stabbed Link."

He grinned. "Sometimes I wonder if you can read my mind."

"Actually, most of the time I have no clue what you're thinking."

"That's a good thing. Fine, we can go to the field. If we see anyone, we are coming right back here."

"You're antisocial, you know that?"

"I'm also a homicidal maniac. You know _that_?"

"You're impossible."

"That's also a good thing," he replied with a laugh.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this was so short. I know I promised fluff, but there's already been quite a bit of that, and if I just kept writing cute scenes, Mariel and Dark will just be going in circles for eternity. Not necessarily a bad thing, but there's a lot that needs to be resolved, so I decided to make them go to Hyrule Field. Why? Well, only I know that right now. You'll know in the next chapter. Heh heh heh...


	33. Clouds

A/N: Another super-short one! I'm sorry! And I really need to stop apologizing for my writing...*whacks self over the head*

* * *

**33: Clouds**

When we reached the Eldin Bridge, I took Dark's hand. He growled at me, but didn't jerk away, his eyes remaining fixed on the sky. "Those are rather strange clouds."

I followed his gaze, seeing only dark gray clouds, nothing unusual. "Strange how?" I questioned.

"Normal clouds drift across the sky undisturbed, very, very gradually changing shape as they go. Those clouds keep changing shape without moving." His grip tightened on my hand, his expression tightening. "I sense evil."

"What kind of evil?"

"Pervading, suffocating, cloaking the land like a heavy blanket. There's something in those clouds, something…dark."

"Are you sure you're not just imagining things?"

"Look!" he hissed abruptly, pointing at the clouds. To my shock, I saw something massive and purple falling from the sky, a flash of steel, then the object disappeared behind the tower at the end of the bridge, and I heard a thunderous boom. Dark spun me around to stare into my face. "Mariel, you need to go! Run quickly, head straight for the village, do not stop, and _hide_! Whatever that is, it's an evil far more dangerous than even Ganondorf! Run!"

"What will you do?" I exclaimed.

He unsheathed the Shadowmaster, his skin shifting until he resembled nothing but a shadow, his eyes glowing a fierce, bright red. "I will fight it," he rumbled, his voice suddenly taking on an eerie, malicious hiss, causing my hair to stand on end.

"Why?" I protested. "Why do you have to fight it? Surely the Hero will do something."

"Link is already fighting that thing, and losing miserably!" he roared. "_Run_, Mariel! Don't look back!"

He took off down the bridge, looking like nothing but a shadow ghosting along the stones before he was out of sight. I obeyed his orders and ran, but I ran _after_ him, afraid to lose him. With his connection to Link gone, there was a slim chance that his power to come back from the dead was also gone, and I didn't want him to die.


	34. United

**34: United**  
**Link…**

The impact knocked the wind from me, but I forced myself to crawl to my feet, braced for the next assault. The beast staggered to its feet; even slumped over, I barely came up to its knee.

Its dark red skin glistened darkly with either sweat or blood, I didn't know. It glared at me balefully, round, orange eyes alight with malice as it brandished its twin whips, taking a fighting stance, its odd, heart-shaped body cocked to one side.

"Strike already!" I spat. "Stop circling like a coward and face me like a warrior! I'm sick of your silly games, Majora!"  
The beast cackled, lashing out with one whip while simultaneously leaping to kick me; I dove to one side and struck at its knee, only succeeding in causing a superficial cut.

"Link, watch out!" a voice roared, and I jerked backward in shock, not recognizing who was speaking even as Majora struck again, this time with both whips. I ducked, but not quickly enough, and one of the lashes wrapped around my waist, cutting deep. I yelled as I was thrown through the air, then a hand grabbed my arm and swung me around so that I landed on my feet, albeit shakily. "Dumbest hero I've ever met," my rescuer growled into my ear before vanishing from my side.

I gripped the Master Sword tighter and hefted my shield, eyeing Majora, who seemed mildly confused, if its stance was anything to go by. "A silly trick I did not think you capable of," it hissed. "You and your friend will both die, however."

_What friend? Who saved me?_ I took a few steps back, wishing that the Giant's Mask worked here. "I don't know how you came to this world, but you will not destroy Hyrule as you tried to do so to Termina. I will defeat you again."

"You do not have the aid of Oni this time, _hero_," it sneered.

"Hey!" someone shouted. Majora and I both looked to see, to my utter disbelief, Dark. He was standing on a large boulder, brandishing the Shadowmaster. "I'm the only one allowed to use his title disrespectfully!" he snapped, leaping down and striding boldly to stand before Majora.

My jaw dropped at that, and Dark chuckled, his sword glowing brightly until the blade shone almost white, a blast of light energy shooting out to strike Majora squarely in the chest.

The beast staggered back and collapsed heavily to the ground, steam rising from its body, and Dark vanished, only to reappear at my side. I stared at him in shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"Shut up and be glad for the help, Link," he replied. "You look awful. Finally met an enemy besides me who can pulverize you, eh?"

"Majora isn't a common enemy! It's a true demon, something that can only be killed by a force equal to it!"

"Be glad I'm equal to it, then." He tensed when Majora stood up again, and shook his head. "It doesn't want to stay dead, does it? Fine, then." He charged, vanishing just before the twin whips touched him and reappearing above the demon, coming down on it and stabbing deep; the Shadowmaster sank into Majora's head as easily as if the beast was a simple bokoblin.

_When did he suddenly become an ally? I'm so confused._ Rather than bother trying to figure it out further, though, I ran forward and attacked Majora as well; it only fell after Dark beheaded it with his sword, and we both leapt clear, Dark almost hitting me over the head as he regained his balance.

"I think it's dead," I breathed, sighing.

"I'd be shocked if it wasn't," he muttered, kicking the body lightly.

Majora jerked upright suddenly, one hand grabbing Dark by the throat and squeezing. I yelled, hacking at its body, and the demon sent out a wave of dark energy, hitting me with its full force. I sagged backwards, struggling to stay awake, but it was impossible; the magic was too strong, and I faded.

* * *

A/N: Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! Weren't expecting Majora's Wrath, were ya? XD If this battle seems a bit abrupt and stilted, then I apologize; it's a bit difficult to describe battles with Majora in them.


	35. Oni

**35: Oni**

There was a bright flash all of a sudden, and I felt my lungs start working; I drew a deep breath, wondering if I had died. If so, had my immortality brought me back? I forced my tired eyes to open, only to gasp and shrink back.

A tall, leanly muscled man with ghostly, white eyes and features similar to mine was above me, red and blue tattoos vibrant against his tan skin. He took my hand in his and pulled me to my feet; I felt like a tiny child beside him, but, in spite of his blank eyes, he seemed relatively non-threatening for the moment.

"You had perished," he said, his voice a low rumble that resembled building thunder. "I did not think it would be possible to revive you. Your efforts were admirable, child, but rest now. The threat is over."

"M-M-Majora's d-d-dead?" I stammered, trembling.

His already stern face grew even more imposing, if that was even possible. "Not dead. Merely defeated." He showed me a mask, and I flinched away from it. Although it seemed harmless now, Majora's Mask had caused so much trouble in the past that I was wary of what might happen. The fierce man chuckled quietly, sounding relatively normal. "Your world is safe now, unless an enemy other than Majora comes to fight against it."

I suddenly remembered something. "Dark…there was another man fighting Majora with me! Where is he? What happened to him?"

His expression grew solemn, his white eyes seeming to flicker with the faintest shade of gray. "I was unable to revive him."

I looked around wildly, seeing a lump on the ground, and I rushed toward him, collapsing to my knees; Dark's features were slack, blood trickling from a corner of his mouth, and he wasn't breathing. I listened, not hearing or feeling a heartbeat, and he was cold._ No! He can't die, not after he risked everything to help me! Mariel was right, he's not truly evil! He can't die! Not now!_

"Save him!" I demanded frantically.

The fierce warrior shook his head. "I already tried. He is gone, child. There is nothing more I can do."

"No! You can't let him die!"

"He is already dead. I came to late to save both of you. I had to choose. I chose you over him simply because I do not know him."

"How can you be so heartless? Hyrule doesn't need me anymore! But there _is_ someone who needs _him_!"

"It is too late, child. I cannot alter that."

I gently picked up the fallen warrior, unsure of what to do next._ How am I supposed to explain this to Mariel? She's going to be so heartbroken._ I began walking in the direction of the Eldin Bridge, unable to take my eyes off of Dark's face. _How can someone who's dead look so peaceful?_ I blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall, then I saw something up ahead on the ground. The small form of a woman. _What? No, how is that possible?_

I ran, then froze in shock. _No, they can't _both_ be dead! What was she doing here?_ I dropped to my knees and laid Dark carefully on the ground beside her, then checked for a pulse. It was there, faintly, and I whirled on the fierce warrior. "Save her! Now!"

He knelt and placed one hand on her cheek, his white eyes shifting to a shade of violet for a moment before returning to their original hue. "She will live, I believe. I must return to my land, Termina, soon. Majora needs to be sealed away again."

"Please, stay," I begged. "How can I face her alone? Tell her that the man she loves is dead?"

"Those two are in love?"

"There's no other explanation for how they act around each other," I answered forlornly. "How can I possibly tell her that he's gone? She'll never recover."

His stern features softened for an instant. "Hyrule is the land where the six sages reside, is it not?"

"Yes."

"Seek their aid. If this were Termina, I would be able to bring the man back from the dead. But this is not my land, this is the land of the sages. _They_ hold the power over life and death here." Oni bowed his head and stood, towering over me. "I must go. The longer I remain here, the more of a chance Majora will have to escape."

He took a step backward and vanished in a flash of light, leaving no trace of his presence. I bowed my head and held both of their hands, Mariel's clenched and warm, and Dark's limp and cold. _Sages, I have never needed your help more than I do now. Please, hear my call and save him!_


	36. The Sages

A/N: For the something-twentieth time, I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. My life outside of the computer caught up with me; see the author's note in my profile for details.

* * *

**36: The Sages**

That was when I was hit by a brilliant, blue light, Hyrule vanishing only to be replaced by a massive lake from which rose an island of verdant, green grass. I looked around, quickly spotting Dark's immobile form laying on the center of the island; I ran towards him, feeling a sense of weightlessness as I leapt clear over the water and landed on the grass.

Then six forms materialized, and I was stopped short by Darunia's massive body; his violet eyes glowered down at me, and he blocked all of my attempts to sidestep.

"Let me go to him!" I demanded.

Ruto shook her head. "No, hero, he must remain here within the Sacred Realm. That man has caused far too much pain and strife. He must not be allowed to return to Hyrule."

"He's different now, he's changed!" I tried to leap straight over her, but she thrust me back effortlessly, spreading her fins wide into a shield. "Get out of the way!" I roared, unsheathing the Master Sword and holding it to her throat.

Nabooru hit the blade away, scowling. "You would threaten us with the Blade of Evil's Bane?"

"I am beginning to think that you are actually attempting to defend him," Rauru growled. "The demon must not be allowed to remain alive. The severance of your connection gives us a chance to seal him away for eternity."

_Dang it, Dark, if only I could wield the Shadowmaster! Then I could force them to listen! The Master Sword is useless against them._ "He's not evil anymore!" I persisted. "You have to heal him and bring him back! Impa, help me!"

The Sheikah stared at me impassively. "I have never doubted your honesty, nor your wisdom before, hero. But to suggest that we revive the Sage's Bane is madness. He has always been our enemy."

"And he's also your nephew," I hissed. "What ever happened to you saying that me letting him go was a wise choice?"

The other sages froze; Impa's gaze narrowed, and her hands sparked with shadow magic. "I never said that," she denied. "My ties with him were cut off when he took the Shadowmaster and killed thousands of innocents."

"You are beginning to sound as though you are in league with him," Rauru added with a snarl.

I made eye contact with the Sage of Forest, feeling desperate. "Please, Saria, help me. Can't we give him a second chance?"

She blinked twice, rapidly, then gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Link, but no. He's too dangerous."

* * *

A/N: Dark has brainwashed me; I now have a vendetta against the sages, and now I hate them, even Saria. Impa remains awesome in my book, but Dark still hates her, so I'm agreeing with his point of view for now. :P I know this chapter is really short, but I figured I should let you guys know that I'm still alive, and I'm not giving up on this story. Next chapter after this is _almost_finished, so hopefully that'll be up soon.


	37. Defense

**37: Defense**

"Sadly, I have to agree with her," a new voice cut in sharply. All six sages whirled around, looking blatantly shocked. I started, seeing, to my totally disbelief and shock, _Mariel_, bent over beside Dark's body. She straightened, giving me no time to wonder as she marched straight over to Rauru and glared at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, which made her seem all the more furious.

He looked quite bewildered. "Who are you, mortal, and how did you enter this realm?"

"My name is Mariel, and I'm nobody, really, just a formerly homeless girl. As for how I entered the Sacred Realm…I think I was pulled in along with Link. He was holding my hand when you let him in, after all."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"The midget girl is right. Dark is dangerous. More dangerous than you. So dangerous that you morons _fear_ him! And if he weren't dead, you would all still be scared out of your wits. Even now, in death, he holds power over you, making you bicker and fight with the _Hero of Time_, the one person who made it possible for five of you to become sages in the first place! If it weren't for him, all of you would be still be mortal! How _dare_ you speak to him like that?!"

All of them abruptly looked shamefaced, and Rauru took a step back, glancing at me nervously. I clasped my hands together and tried my best to looked harmless, now thoroughly impressed with her tirade. "Y'know, guys…she has a point. I could have easily refused to save Hyrule, and Ganondorf would still be in charge."

Impa gave me a harsh look, and I returned the scowl, holding the Master Sword ready in case it did come down to a fight. But, unsurprisingly, Mariel wasn't finished. Instead, she went back to Dark's body and slowly drew the Shadowmaster, which had somehow ended up back in his sheath. The sages all tensed visibly as she walked over to them again with the sword held loosely in one hand. I was just startled that it didn't disintegrate immediately; normally, Dark was the only one who could hold it for any period of time.

"You dare to threaten those who hold power over life and death in this realm?" Rauru said quietly in a warning tone.

She lifted the Shadowmaster, and gave him an innocent look as the blade began to glow white. "Hm, I wonder what it means when it turns this color?" she asked, smirking.

They suddenly looked panicked, backing up rapidly. "No!" Nabooru shouted. "You'll kill us all!"

"So the immortal are afraid of death? Ha! Now _that's_ funny! Look, the last thing I want is to become Hyrule's enemy. But you need to revive Dark. Now. I didn't get beaten up numerous times just to see him die after all my hard work. I promise you, he will not attack anyone if you do revive him."

"You cannot make such a promise," Ruto replied scathingly. "He is a monster, a murderer."

Mariel rested the blade of the Shadowmaster against her shoulder, suddenly looking far more intimidating than Dark had ever been. "You don't know me. I _can_ make such a promise, and I just _did_. I can assure you, I _never_ make an oath unless I know for certain that I can keep it."

_Oh, dear, Ruto just insulted her honor. That's not good._ I dodged past Rauru and slipped underneath Darunia, leaping to crouch beside Dark's body, knowing that there was a chance that they would simply act before we could persuade them.

Impa unsheathed a pair of twin daggers that I hadn't known she even had, advancing on me with the other sages close behind. "You no longer have our blessings, mortal, and you cannot prevent us from sealing him away."

"I became the hero to defend those who could not protect themselves," I shot back, brandishing the Master Sword. "He's dead already; he's harmless, and you have no right to place him within that prison. I'm the one who gave you people permission to build those walls in the first place, and _I_ say who you imprison there. You will not touch him!"

"At least I've finally convinced _you_, Link," Mariel told me, sidling around them quickly and joining me. The Shadowmaster abruptly flared with blue flames that crackled and spread out from the blade to create a wall of fire between us and the sages.

I stared at her in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"I have no idea. I thought these guys were your friends?"

"They _were_," I growled, glaring at Saria. She looked down, backing up a few paces; I roared in frustration. "Whatever happened to_ I will always be your friend_?!" I demanded.

Her gaze snapped up to meet mine, and her expression suddenly became angry; Saria whirled around with a massive aura of green fire surrounding her, stopping the other sages. "This is madness!" she exclaimed. "He's the Hero of Time, and the Bane of Evil! We should not be fighting him like this! Have all of you so quickly forgotten everything he's done for Hyrule? For _us_?"

"Saria, you know how dangerous that demon is!" Darunia rumbled, clenching his hands into fists.

"I know, but the hero has always stood up for what was right, and I don't think we should start doubting his word just because of one enemy. I don't trust the one whom they call 'Dark,' but I _do_ trust the Hero of Time. I trust _Link_. And as for whoever that other girl is…the Shadowmaster is accepting her."

Rauru scoffed. "That doesn't mean she knows how to wield it."

"We don't know anything about her. What if she _does_? What if _Vilat_ taught her how to control the blade? Do you really want to make such a foolish gamble?"

* * *

A/N: I'm drawing all this out intentionally. XD I'm having so much fun with this, because I get to be so angry and awesome! :D Yes, I do often go on long, extensive tirades like this when I'm angry or passionate. :-)


	38. Resurrection

A/N: Okay, fine, I'll stop dragging this out. :P But it might be something quite different from you've been expecting. XD

* * *

**38: Resurrection**  
**Mariel…**

I blinked at the girl's last statement, surprised._ She has a point; they don't know anything about me. I could be just as deadly as Dark for all they know._ I tightened my grip on the Shadowmaster's hilt, feeling a surge of icy power run through me. I don't know if I was imagining it or not, but the colors of everything seemed to get brighter, and I felt an overwhelming sense that I could easily wipe them all out if I wanted to.

_I understand that Dark has done a lot of bad things to Hyrule, but he needs a second chance! I haven't spent all this time making him nicer just to lose him now!_ "Bring him back to life," I said, doing my level best to keep my voice steady and commanding.

The creepy red-eyed lady, who I now had figured out was Impa, seemed like she would've attacked Link and I by now if it weren't for my shield of flames that I still had no clue how I'd conjured.

The Zora glared at me. "Get it through your head, mortal; we are not reviving that monster!"

I felt the sword vibrate strongly, the blade abruptly shifting to an eerie black, and I felt Link place a restraining hand on my shoulder. I glanced at him to see that he was staring directly at the red-eyed lady, who I guessed was Impa.

"Have you already forgotten the words you spoke to me in the Temple of Time?" he asked softly, no trace of malice in his voice. "_No man has a fixed future. My choice to let him go could have influenced him to become something far more than what he is now. Not an enemy of Hyrule._ Have those words lost all meaning to you?"

"Am I really so controversial?" a voice rasped quietly.

I whirled around, almost slicing Link in half as I dropped to my knees in front of the prone figure. "_Dark_!"

I heard the sages all gasp as his eyes cracked open slightly, his lips twitching into a faint smile.

"Thought you were rid of me, didn't you?" he chuckled, sounding like he was in pain.

I dropped the Shadowmaster and hugged him tightly, finally not holding back my tears as I pressed my face tightly into his chest. "I thought you were dead!"

"I don't die permanently, remember?" he whispered, his hand slowly coming up to stroke my cheek, shaking unsteadily.

I heard Link clear his throat meaningfully, and I twisted halfway to see that the sages were all holding weapons of some sort, and inching closer, obviously ready to attack; I immediately grabbed the Shadowmaster and managed to conjure those blue flames again, driving them back.

"I'm glad you're alive," I said, kissing him quickly, then straightening up to face the sages, who looked both shocked and angry by this turn of events.

Link bent and grabbed Dark's wrist, pulling him up carefully. "Are you okay? We weren't able to revive you!"

The warrior gave him a scornful look, teetering slightly before shaking off Link's hand and staggering to lean on me. "Fighting someone using the power of your mind isn't as easy as it sounds," he replied, shuddering and giving the old fat man a furious glare.

"Actually, that doesn't sound easy at all. Do you want your sword back?"

He eyed me, a slow grin working its way across his face. "No, you can keep it for now. Do me a favor and kill Rauru with it."

Link stepped between us and the sages. "No one is going to be doing any killing!"

"Spoilsport," he muttered, clenching his jaw and shivering.

I handed Dark the Shadowmaster and made sure that he wasn't going to drop it before I marched straight up to Impa and threw a punch at her. Amazingly, my fist went straight through her face, and she dematerialized briefly before solidifying again, looking slightly bewildered. "You are mortal; you cannot harm me, child."

"I don't care. You're Dark's only living family, and yet you refuse to have anything to do with him! You're crazy!"

"Actually, not my _only_ living family," Dark muttered, causing the wall of blue flames to disappear.

I went back to him, frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, technically…"

Impa gave him a death glare. "Don't say it, Nilrem."

"Nilrem?!" Link exclaimed.

"Shut up, Link. You have a weird name, too. What I meant to say before Impa so _rudely _interrupted me…" he trailed off, giving her a threatening growl before continuing in a pleasant, cheery voice. "I have two brothers, in addition to her. They're both still alive. Or, at least, the one is."

"You have brothers? Really?" Link asked incredulously.

"Oh, you are so dull, hero. You're one of them."

Impa spat something in another language, and I just stared at him in surprise. "Link's your brother? Really?"

"He looks identical to me, Mariel. I'm surprised no one's figured it out before."

"Preposterous!" Rauru declared. "That monster is not related to the hero; there is no way that is true."

"It is true," Impa contradicted him softly.

Link looked too stunned to say anything at first, then he made a small, choking sound before speaking slowly. "We'll discuss this later. Sages, we are leaving the Sacred Realm now, and if you try to stop us, there will be consequences."


	39. Playful

A/N: Okay, finally, another fluffy-ish chapter, which is a relief after all that drama. Emphasis on the "ish.

* * *

**39: Playful**

There was a bright flash, then everything felt lighter and colder, as if I were floating in the clouds. I opened my eyes and saw a gray sky that was slowly turning to orange from the sun, and I felt soft grass under my back. Abruptly, I heard deep, joyful laughter next to my ear, and I turned to see Dark laying flat on his back, laughing his head off for no reason at all.

"What's wrong with you?" I questioned him, smiling in spite of my frayed nerves, the gravity of our previous situation suddenly hitting me. _I could have lost him!_ He looked as though he was trying to get his laughter under control, but failed, doubling up on his side and closing his eyes. I finally rolled over onto my elbows and nudged his shoulder with my nose, starting to get worried. "Are you okay?"

"You!" he finally shouted, bursting into new gales of laughter.

I frowned, cautiously poking him. "I fail to see how I was funny at any point. I almost lost you!"

He eventually stopped, but was still grinning. "You tried to _punch_ Impa!" The very words seemed to set him off again.

I sighed, flopping down on top of him. "Your point?"

"And you were wielding the Shadowmaster!"

"Again, I fail to see the humor."

"I'm sorry, you do realize that you threatened a bunch of immortal, ancient people, right?" he replied, his laughter subsiding to quiet chuckles.

"I guess…"

"And you're just an average mortal. Sort of."

"What do you mean 'sort of?'" I asked, confused.

"You were just in the Sacred Realm, Mariel. That tends to have an interesting effect on mortals. Making them not mortal anymore."

I blinked. "Are you saying that I'm immortal now?"

"Yes," he laughed.

"So _that's_ what's so funny?"

"That, and the fact that _you_ were wielding the _Shadowmaster_."

"You're not making much sense…"

"Ah, never mind. Wonderful day, isn't it?"

I poked him in the ribs, causing him to twitch away from me. "Did Rauru mentally knock your brains loose or something?"

"No, I'm just glad to be alive. You have no idea how claustrophobic that whole experience was, battling the sage mentally within a tiny, dark room."

I shook my head, bewildered. "I still don't get that. Rauru was talking to us normally; he didn't seem like he was distracted by some mental battle or anything."

"One of the beauties of being dead. You don't do anything, and yet you are doing a lot."

"And you say that _I'm_ confusing?"

"Think faster, Mariel."

"I almost lost you, okay?" I snapped. "I'm not really thinking about much else!"

"A pity. Because then maybe you would be…more on guard."

I gave him a puzzled look. "On guard for what?"

Something hooked under my ankle and flipped me over onto my back; Dark was overtop of me in a heartbeat, pinning my wrists to the ground and grinning. "For a surprise attack."

"Very funny. What's gotten into you?"

"Since when do _you_ not have a sense of humor?" he countered.

I leaned up to kiss him. His eyes widened, and I felt his grip on me loosen; that was when I rolled sideways, throwing him off and springing to my feet. "My sense of humor is just fine, thank you very much. You're just being abnormally happy, and it's freaking me out."

He growled, getting to his feet and glaring at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he abruptly lunged, diving through the air to tackle me; I dove forward just in time, and he went clear over my head. I spun to see him land in a crouch, his arms spread wide as though he were about to wrestle me. Dark grinned devilishly, charging again, and again, I dodged, but this time he grabbed my arm and I was pulled around to collide with his chest.

"You need to move faster," he advised, chuckling.

"Can you guys hold off on your playtime for a bit?" another voice asked, sounding groggy.

Dark released me, and we turned, seeing Link seated on the ground, blood trickling steadily from a wound on his shoulder. I went over to kneel beside him, reaching out to cautiously touch the wound; he hissed sharply, and I quickly yanked my hand back. "What happened to you?"

He gritted his teeth, putting pressure on the large cut. "Well, I sent you both out of the Sacred Realm, and Nabooru decided to fling her scimitar at me at the last second before I was able to pull myself out along with you. And immaterial, magical weapons hurt far more that normal steel."

Dark crouched down and eyed him. "Do you want me to put you out of your misery?"

"_Dark!_" we exclaimed in unison.

He grinned. "Sorry."

Then his hand flared with black fire, and he plunged the flames into Link's chest; the hero gasped, his pupils dilating, and he fell onto his back the moment that the fire was withdrawn, panting heavily. "You were just dead!" he gasped. "How did you do that?"

"Apparently, I've recovered."

Link slowly sat up again, staring at him. "And since when do you ever apologize for _anything_?"

"Mariel!" Dark accused.

I gave him an innocent smile, punching his shoulder lightly. "Yes, I take full responsibility for that. How, exactly, are you able to command the immortal realm like that?"

Link shrugged. "Practice. I've gotten better with time."

"Don't you command time, though?"

He grinned, his expression looking exactly like Dark for a split second. "_Exactly_." He stood carefully, leaning slightly to the right, then he shook his head, looking around. I noticed that we were standing in the Northern Eldin Field, and a lot of ground was either scorched or plowed up from whatever battle had been fought. Link frowned, then took out what looked like a round-ish type of instrument, putting it to his lips and blowing a shrill, high note that echoed loudly.

Dark winced. "Do you have to do that so obnoxiously?"

"Yes," he replied matter-of-factly, chuckling.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, you guys want an explanation for the whole brother-thing! That'll come soon, I promise!


	40. Kao

A/N: Sorry for the long absence, guys, but life sped up drastically for a while. Now that summer is starting to end, I'm not as busy, although that will probably change again after October, so please, be patient with me. Anyway, here's the next chapter. those of you who read Allegiance before I took it down from the website will understand who, exactly, Kao is. Those who haven't read that...let's just say that Sheik and Zelda are separate people in my Dragon Series, so no griping about noncanonicity. ...is that a real word? Anyhoo, yes, Sheik pops up in this chapter. XD

* * *

**40: Kao**

I eyed Link suspiciously. "You didn't do that for no reason. Were you signaling someone?"

"You're very observant." He faced Dark, eyes narrowing. "I need to be sure that you'll keep your promise to leave Hyrule and it's inhabitants alone."

"Hyrule can perish or thrive for all I care. It makes no difference to me anymore," he replied, growling softly and grabbing me tightly against him.

I chuckled at Link's bewildered expression. "He's kinda…clingy sometimes."

Dark leaned down and hissed sharply into my ear, causing me to squeal and try to wriggle away; he didn't allow that. I was stuck. I sighed, glancing up at him, and he flashed a savage grin, scraping his claws lightly against my neck, not hard enough to hurt, but definitely with just enough pressure to make it tickle. "And Mariel oversteps her bounds a lot. I can promise you, though, I will leave Hyrule alone. As long as you keep your original promise to leave _me_ alone."

"I can't just pretend you're not there. Just because I defended you doesn't mean I trust you."

"I have an idea to ensure Hyrule's safety," I interjected. "Dark continues to live in the village, and I keep an eye on him. If he does anything questionable, I tell you and you can lock him up again."

Dark growled at that, and I stomped on his foot, giving him a warning look. Link frowned, folding his arms and cocking his head. "There's nothing to stop him from killing you, though."

Dark spat something in another language, and I rolled my eyes. "He's not gonna kill me. The guy is physically incapable of letting me die. I'll be fine. I've _been_ fine."

"Can I trust you?" he asked me bluntly.

"I stabbed you in the gut and defended an ancient demon from you," I replied simply.

"Mariel, you're not being very convincing," Dark reprimanded.

Link's face reddened, and I thought he was about to yell at me, then he doubled over, laughing hysterically. Dark tilted his head to one side, looking puzzled. "Is that a mortal thing? Losing your wits like that?"

I shrugged, leaning into him; eventually, the hero got himself under control, straightening up, but he was grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, fine, you're trustworthy. I think your plan will work. On one condition."

"I hate conditions," Dark grumbled.

"I visit once a week to check in with you two and make sure that he's still behaving. Dark, if she has even one scratch or bruise, I will behead you without a second thought."

"That sounds reasonable," I agreed, elbowing Dark roughly when he growled a protest.

Link looked about to respond, when a knife whizzed out of nowhere; Dark immediately caught it in midair, then something slammed into us from behind, knocking me to the ground.

"Lorian, stop!" Link shouted, pouncing and colliding with whatever it was that was pinning us down, ripping it away.

Dark hissed, his skin phasing into that shadowy black color as his eyes began to glow brightly; I quickly got up and grabbed him in a tight hug. "No, don't, calm down."

We turned, and I saw that Link was blocking the path of a young man whose face, shockingly, looked identical to both Dark and the hero, but more like Dark, with glowing, red eyes, but scruffy, silvery-blonde hair. And he looked furious, eyes blazing, twin knives in each hand. "_Lo nae no laii sharen_!"

"_Alnes_," Link replied evenly, still barring his way.

"_Laekera lia insii kiraesa retnii, Kao_," Dark said, looking amused.

"_Nerro casia kiraes meliin lan, relohin_!" the stranger spat, trying to lunge over Link's head, but the hero intercepted him again.

I tensed; whatever they were saying obviously wasn't friendly, and I really didn't want this to become a fight. "Can you all just _stop_?" I finally exclaimed.

Everyone froze, and the stranger speared me with his hostile gaze, crimson eyes flashing. Whoever he was, he obviously had Sheikah blood. Dark immediately stepped in front of me, as if shielding me from this guy. "Just listen to your brother before someone gets hurt," he told the stranger in Hylian, chuckling.

_Brother? Okay, just how many secret brothers does Link have?_ "Who are you?" I asked him, pushing past Dark to face him, even though his glare was piercing enough to make me want to hide.

Link put his hands on the stranger's shoulders, effectively holding him in place, provided the man didn't attempt to just kill the hero to get to Dark. "This is Lorian, my brother. Also known by the names Kao and Sheik."

Lorian looked murderous, muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like a curse, but he made no attempt to break free from Link's grip. "What's going on?" he snarled.

"It's a long story, so just calm down so that I can tell you," Link replied.

His jaw clenched, but he nodded tightly, glaring at Dark. "Then tell me, please…why are you not killing that monstrosity right now?"

Link sighed, slowly letting go of his brother. "He's not our enemy anymore."

"_Han len kiraes retinala_?!" he hissed sharply.

"Remember the girl I told you about, the one who stabbed me?"

_Oh no, I'm gonna die._ I gulped, tensing and sidling closer to Dark. Lorian frowned, and his gaze found me. He tensed visibly. "That's her?"

Dark moved ever so slightly so that his shoulder was slightly in front of me, his skin rippling to that charcoal shade for the briefest moment. "Yes, and if you touch her, you will die," he growled.

Link rolled his eyes. "No one is going to be doing any killing! Lorian, long story short, that girl has somehow been able to change Dark from a heartless monster into…something else."

Lorian stared long and hard at me, and I smiled nervously. "It's kinda complicated. Dark's not evil anymore, though!"

He blinked, looking confused, glancing at Dark, then back at me, then giving Link a fierce look. "Are you trying to tell me that he's a good person now? After everything he's done?"

Link shrugged. "Uh…yeah. I don't trust him, but he's not a threat right now. Mariel's keeping him in line."

* * *

A/N: Those of you who read Allegiance before I took it down from the website will understand who, exactly, Lorian is. Those who haven't read that...let's just say that Sheik and Zelda are separate people in my Dragon Series, and yes, Sheik is Link's twin brother in the Dragon Series, so no griping about noncanonicity. ...is that a real word? Anyhoo, yes, Sheik pops up in this chapter. XD

This is the first time I've put a substantial amount of my made up language, _Shaekar_ in any of my stories, so here are the translations for what was going on between them.

_Lo nae no laii sharen!_ ~ Get out of my way!

_Alnes._ ~ Calm.

_Laekera lia insii kiraesa retnii, Kao._ ~ I am not your enemy, Kao.

_Nerro casia kiraes meliin lan, relohin_! ~ How dare you address me, beast!

_Han len kiraes retinala_?! What do you mean?!


	41. Keep You

**41: Keep You**

After a long moment of tense, nerve-wracking silence, Lorian muttered something in that other language before speaking in Hylian. "How can you even think of forgiving him? After what he did…"

Link sighed heavily. "I know. But I'm sick of fighting a war that no one can win."

"We've already reached an arrangement," I interjected. "Dark and I live alone, away from the rest of Hyrule, and Link keeps tabs on us to make sure he doesn't revert to his old ways."

Lorian glared at me, eliciting a warning snarl from Dark, who rested his hand on the hilt of his dagger threateningly. "I don't dare call myself 'good,' but I honestly don't care about Hyrule one way or another. I'll leave this kingdom alone as long as everyone else leaves us alone. And as for what I did back then…I'm sorry. It was not intentional."

"_That_ was not intentional?!" he snapped, clenching his hands.

"I…reacted to her sudden proximity. I was not aiming at her directly. My only intent was to target Link. I never wanted to drag anyone else into the conflict."

_What are they talking about?_

Link closed his eyes briefly, trembling. "Lorian, our only choice is to forgive him, or be torn up by our own hatred. I'm sick and tired of living with this constant pain and anger. It's time to let go."

"I disagree," he growled. "I will refrain from killing him, but only because you wish me to. Do not expect me to protect you from danger this time, though." He turned and stalked away, vanishing into thin air.

I noticed that Link seemed really worn out all of a sudden, his shoulder sagging like he barely had the strength left to stand. "Are you okay?" I asked, going up to him.

"I'll be fine," he answered slowly with another sigh.

"I think I'm only just now noticing how much of a temper Lorian has," Dark said with a chuckle, approaching us slowly.

"After what you did all those years ago, I don't blame him for how he reacted," Link hissed, straightening.

"You have far more reason to hate me than he does."

"But I also have more reason to _forgive_ you than he does."

Dark seemed unsure of how to respond to that, and he frowned, then shrugged, pulling me close against him again. I rolled my eyes, looking up at him. "Are you going to keep acting this clingy?"

He grinned. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

I was unable to hold back a laugh at that. "I think that experience in the Sacred Realm knocked something loose in your brain."

"No, it actually got me straightened out a little bit. I had quite the interesting conversation with…an old friend."

Link suddenly looked like he was paying attention. "Who?"

Dark glowered at him. "No one you know; he died long ago."

I suddenly felt like I knew what h was talking about, although I had no clue why. "Are you referring to someone particularly scaly?"

"Yes," he answered.

_Xahreto, then._ "What did he say?"

He smiled. "He said that his prophecy has at long last come true and I need to start doing what I always wanted to do, unrestrained by the bonds of my past."

"Which means?"

"I just found out from him the translation of the Draconic words on my sword. _Life and death, light and dark, two reflections, one image._ When he gave me the Shadowmaster, he knew full well that I would use it for evil, but he also knew what would happen to me eventually. What would happen to _us_ eventually."

"So what does 'doing what you always wanted to do' mean, then? What, exactly, have you always wanted to do?"

Dark grinned, then grabbed me and spun around with me in his arms until we crashed to the ground with me on top of him. "I get to keep you," he whispered in my ear.

I giggled, tugging on his hair. "You're crazy."

He rolled over pinning me underneath him. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so." He eyed me calculatingly, then chuckled. "I can think of so many ways to torment you right now."

"You're evil!" I laughed, shoving him feebly, but he'd balanced his weight perfectly so that he was pressing down on me just enough to keep me trapped, but not enough to hurt me.

"Ah ah, you're not allowed to say that anymore," he scolded, smirking, then he leaned down further to breathe lightly into my ear, causing me to squeal and try to wriggle away, but he kept me firmly in place as he used his warm breath to tickle my neck, nose and ears until I was reduced to a giggling mess.

"Mercy, please!" I yelled, clawing at his back, but all I was able to accomplish was unbuckling his sword belt and throwing the Shadowmaster. "Dark, this isn't fair!" I screamed.

He finally stopped, grinning devilishly at me. "I told you…"

"Yes, you're right, you know many ways to torment me! Now get off!"

He kissed me abruptly before getting to his feet, pulling me up with him. "You're adorable when you're disheveled."

"Shut up," I retorted, darting around to tackle him from behind; unfortunately, he didn't go down, so I ended up just riding on his back, glaring down at the top of his head. He looked up at me and laughed, grabbing my ankles to keep me where I was before walking back over to Link. The hero looked amused, and I glared at him. "Don't say _anything_."

"Who could I possibly tell?" he responded innocently.

* * *

A/N: I'm happy to have been able to write more fluff after all that drama. :o) By the way, the conversation between Dark, Lorian, and Link was written to be intentionally vague and obscure, because I don't want to give away spoilers. Very traumatic spoilers.


	42. Uh

**42: Uh…**

Dark stooped to pick up his sword, glancing up at me amusedly before dumping me off, somehow keeping me from falling to the ground. "I am slightly curious about we'll do now."

"Same as we've been doing," I replied. "You're not getting away from me anytime soon."

"That's not what I meant," he laughed, then he leaned in closer, whispering in my ear so that Link couldn't hear him. "I mean, do you think marriage is a possibility for us?"

I stopped breathing for a full ten seconds, staring at him in wide-eyed shock. "_What_?"

His brow furrowed, and he suddenly looked worried. "Did I say that wrong? I _did_ use the right word, didn't I?"

"Uh…I think you used the right word, but…did you seriously just ask me what I think you just asked me?"

"I just asked you if you would like to marry me," he muttered, kissing my neck lightly.

I pulled away slightly so that I could look into his eyes. "Don't you think it's a little…soon for that? We haven't even known each other for a month yet."

"I've waited over three thousand years for you. It's not too soon for me."

"Are you asking if I'll marry you right now, or are you asking if I would want to marry you eventually?"

He frowned, tilting his head to one side, then he shrugged. "Either one, I guess."

"Well, I, uh…would you mind waiting a little while, then? I mean, I know for sure I want to stay with you for the rest of my life, but I'd kind of like to let things settle down for a while before we cause anymore big changes. Link's probably taken all the shocks he can for this week."

"I've been patient this long, I guess I can wait a little longer."

"Besides the fact that I can't think of anyone who would willingly marry a homeless girl and _Vilat Rhaetaj_."

Dark grinned. "Getting married in the Sheikah way doesn't require a third party. Just you and me."

"I'm afraid to ask. Don't tell me, not yet."

He laughed, strapping his sword belt back on. "Don't worry, It doesn't involve a blood sacrifice or anything."

"I thought you didn't like the Sheikah, though?"

"I don't, but they have some ways that are useful."

"Mind if I interrupt?" Link asked.

"Yes, I _do_ mind," Dark retorted. "What do you want?"

"I have no clue what you two were whispering about, and I'm not sure I want to know, but night is falling, so you might want to go back to the village."

"What are you going to do?" I inquired.

He shrugged. "I need to do damage control, and get back home before midnight."

"Wait, you have a home?"

Link glared at me. "Of course I have a home; did you think I slept in the middle of nowhere?"

"Considering how your home _is_ in the middle of nowhere…" Dark laughed.

"Shut up," Link growled.

"Shall we get going?" Dark asked me quietly, ignoring his twin.

I nodded, shivering, and he gave me a confused look. "Hyrule is a lot colder than the Sacred Realm," I explained, hugging him tightly for warmth; even my new clothes didn't do too much against the biting wind.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the weather," he apologized softly. "It's already late autumn, and if I change anything, all of Hyrule's seasons will be messed up."

"I understand that. Let's go."


End file.
